


Ward's Salvation

by skyewardfan



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-07-03 05:36:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 27
Words: 131,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15812484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyewardfan/pseuds/skyewardfan
Summary: Agent Grant Ward is told by John to kill Skye.  He makes his way to Providence and instead reveals his truth to Agent Coulson.  Will he earn anyone's trust back? Warning: Rated Mature because of eventual explicit chapter





	1. Chapter 1: Coming Forward

**Author's Note:**

> This story basically follows season one up to the point where Ward comes back to Providence for Skye and the flash drive. Some of it follow events of season 2 and 3 with the exception that Ward turned his back on Hydra and John. Please leave me your comments. I rated it mature to be safe because of language.

Ward POV  
“Cross off the team and bring the girl to me.” John walks towards me as he’s changing. “Once we’re done with her we can rid you of your weakness. And by we, I mean you. That won’t be a problem will it?” John searches his eyes as he asks and smiles at the answer he sees.

I’ve had years of experience. Inside I’m stiff with shock. He wants me to kill her? “Of course not.” I answer with confidence. I look at John square in the eye and nods, letting him know that I understand.

“Great. You got your story straight?” 

“Yeah, we just need to make it believable.” I put my drink down and face John, ready for what’s to come. The first punch comes and I use it to calm himself. My skin is crawling but I can’t think about that now. After about 6 punches I black it out and focus on what I’m about to do.

I don’t have trouble finding Providence with Skye’s coordinates. I take a deep breath and make my way into the base. Once the door opens, I spot Skye waiting to see me in. 

She looks beautiful. I smile for the first time since the last time I saw her and joke with her about the directions she gave me.

She smiles back and starts to joke with me but as soon as she can see me up close, she stops and worries. With a gentle hand she inspects my face. I marvel at her touch. “Are you ok?” She looks worried.

I try to pretend it’s nothing. “It’s just a scratch.” I begin to take my bag off and as I do, I flinch. Goddamn. John did a number on my ribs.

“Here, let me help you with that. Come on. Let’s get you to Simmons.” Skye looks at me and gives me a small, shy smile and adds, “then maybe we can get that drink.”  
I can’t help but smile back. I can’t resist her sweet face. “Deal.” I follow her as she leads me to Simmons.

The team gathers as Simmons looks over me. I hate being on display. But I have a mission and this will be part of it.

I try to focus on Simmons as she is going on and on about my cuts and bruises. Fitz is walking around me, making me dizzy. And Skye is talking about me looking like a “badass” if my cuts scar. I contain my smile because Coulson wants a rundown and he doesn’t look amused.

So, I give Coulson my practiced version of things. I get to the part of shooting John and I don’t hesitate. Coulson seems to believe me and gives everyone instructions.

I try to stay as close to Skye as possible. Who knows how long I’d have with her. I didn’t want to think about what the next couple of days would look like. She was going to find out and I wanted to push that out as far as I could but John had given me 24 hours.

Coulson wants to split up the team. He doesn’t think it’s a good idea but it may be easier that way. That is until Eric Koenig shows them the lie detector. 

Fuck. Time to move up the timeline.

May goes first, of course. The woman is a machine and anybody who thinks she’d stand with anyone besides SHIELD is crazy. She’s a SHIELD agent, through and through. I’ve always envied that about her. She always knew what it was like to be part of a team.

The only one not doing “orientation” is Coulson. Come on, Grant. Man up. Do what needs to be done. The image of Skye’s face when she was shot comes up out of nowhere. You did that to her. Now fix it.

When Skye goes in for her turn I know it’s now or never. I take a deep breath and steps into the office that Coulson is waiting in.

“Ward. Have you finished?” Coulson looks at me confused as I make my way toward him. “What’s wrong?”

Say it. Just say it. “Sir, I lied.” I ramble off the rest before Coulson has time to interrupt. “I didn’t kill Garrett. I work for him. I’m part of Hydra. I’m not loyal to them but I am with them. I made myself a part of this team with one mission and one mission only. I was to get all the information I could about you and what they used to bring you back from the dead. I’ve been stealing intel from you and giving it to Garrett. I helped bring down the Fridge. I killed Victoria Hand. I’ve killed a lot of people and I’ve done things you couldn’t even imagine.” I know I was direct and didn’t bullshit because at a time like this I had no time.

I was surprised at how quickly Coulson drew his gun on me. He’s quick for his age. He pressed the gun right onto to my temple. I took a breath. I knew Coulson would probably react like this. But Coulson was able to calm himself and get his bearings.

“Why are you telling me? What’s your play here? What do you want?” Coulson kept the gun pointed at my head but stepped back to get some room between them. I’d never seen Coulson this pissed.

He’s probably trying to calm himself down. Where do I start? “I—I’ve been John Garrett’s guy since before SHIELD. He found me in juvenile hall. I’d set my parent’s house on fire with my brother Christian inside. He broke me out and took care of me. He saved my life. He gave me purpose. He—”

I suddenly stopped as the door opened. Both Coulson and I turned to see who had come in. Please don’t let it be Skye. Agent Koenig took less than a second to see what was happening before drawing his gun out as well.

“Sir, what’s going on? I came looking for Agent Ward. It’s his turn. Everyone passed.” Koenig drew closer to Coulson but kept his gun pointed at my head.

“Agent Ward here is telling me how he’s been with Hydra this whole time. Gather the rest of the team. Bring them in.” Coulson was not to be messed him. Coulson barely looked away from me to tell Koenig.

“NO!” I reacted by stepping toward them because of what that could mean for me if Skye found out. But I stopped himself and drew my hands up, knowing I might get shot. “Sir, please. Hear me out. Don’t bring them in yet. I’m here to help you. I don’t have anything up my sleeve. I promise. I’ll tell you everything.” I was panicking. Skye can’t know. She can’t know. Dammit, I’m not ready. I slowly took the gun I had on me with two fingers and showed them that I meant to drop it. Once I saw they weren’t going to shoot, I took out all my weapons and dropped them in a pile on the floor. Then, I stepped away from them and sat on a chair.

Both Coulson and Koenig looked at each other and turned back to me.

“Ok. Let’s say I believe you. Let’s say I buy that you’re here to help. Why? You just said John Garrett saved your life and that he’s who you’re loyal to. So why are you here?” Coulson took another step back from me but his gun stayed aimed at my head.

Be honest. He won’t believe any of your bullshit.

“Sir, I suggest we do this in the Orientation Room and get everything we can from him.” Koenig suggested before he could talk.

I sighed. As much as I didn’t want to get in that thing it was the only way Coulson would believe me. “I’ll go. I’ll answer anything. Can we please make sure nobody sees us as we go?” I waited watching Coulson. He breathed easier as Coulson nodded. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I just want to know what the hell you’re up to.” Coulson grabbed me by the collar as Koenig secured that nobody was in the hall. I let myself get yanked around by Coulson and kept as calm as I could be in such circumstances.

I sat on the chair immediately and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

Koenig hooked me up and still Coulson head a gun to him. 

“Sir, can you lower the weapon? I’m not attacking either of you and I’m unarmed.” I looked at Coulson and held his look until Coulson dropped the gun.

“Koenig?” Coulson threw over his shoulder.

“Ready to go, Sir.” Koenig confirmed and looked up to me. 

“What is your name?” Koenig asked.

“Grant Douglas Ward.”

“When did you first meet John Garrett?” Coulson was taking over now. He apparently didn’t believe my previous answer.

“I first met John when he came to introduce himself. I was in juvenile hall because I’d set fire to my parent’s house with my brother in it. Garett got me out. He taught me how to be a man. He taught me how to take care of myself and not let myself be a victim. The first thing he did was leave me in the woods for 6 months with nothing but a bag of clothes and his dog Buddy. It was tough at first but I learned to be out there. He taught me not to have any weaknesses.” Don’t think about Buddy. “I learned how to lie from him and how to be a spy. He told me what to do to get your attention for the team. I jumped out of a plane for Jemma to prove myself a part of the team.” Be honest. “That’s what I told myself but I couldn’t let Fitz jump after Simmons. It was too dangerous. I felt responsible for the safety of the team.”

“Why are you back here?” Coulson looked upset and uncomfortable but confused.

“John sent me back.” This is where it was going to get hard.

“Why?” Coulon’s voice betrayed him. He was pissed.

“He wants me to take Skye back with me.” My voice shook with anger. The thought of having Skye near Garrett was making me mad. My jaw locked. “Skye locked the disk and John couldn’t crack it. He wants Skye to give him the information on it.”

My reaction was enough for Coulson to look confused again, no matter how pissed he was at me. “Why did you come to me? Why tell me all this? Is this a trap?”

You think you’re pissed now, Coulson? I knew how Coulson looked at Skye. She was easy to love. She was like a daughter to Coulson. “I was going to take her. I was waiting for the order to come and get her. I thought that Garrett would tell me to come pick her up and I’d keep her safe. But he asked me to bring her to give him what he needed. He wasn’t going to let her leave. He wanted me to—” My voice was now trembling. I had to reign in my anger. I unlocked my jaw once more. “He wanted me to “take care of my weakness”. He wants her dead. He wants me to do it. He—”

“Why is she a weakness?” Coulson interrupted drawing his gun again.

“Because I love her. Because I’ve been in love with her for a while. The only reason I didn’t turn on John before was because we got the GH325 in time to save her. If she had died,” Don’t think about it Ward! “then I would have turned him and myself in a long time ago. I made excuses for him. I owe him my life. I don’t know who I would be or where I would be if he hadn’t come for me and given me purpose.” I’m sorry, John but I need them to trust me. “He’s dying. He was injured a long time ago and was left behind by SHIELD. It was then that he turned his back on SHIELD. He was the first person to go through the Deathlock program. He needed the GH formula to cure himself. Raina is with him now trying to redo the GH formula.”

Coulson was quiet for a long while. Long enough to make me uncomfortable. “Garrett had Skye shot because he knew I’d do anything to save her. And you still followed him blindly?” Coulson looked disgusted.

“Yes.” My weakest moment, the moment I’d so regret for the rest of my life.

“So why tell me all this? What do you think is going to happen here?” Coulon has dropped his gun again and was not about 5 feet away.

“I can’t kill Skye. Skye needs to stay safe. I need to do whatever possible to keep her safe. I need you to help me with that. I know how you feel about Skye. It’s easy to love her. I know she won’t ever see me the same again. She’ll hate me. But I’d rather have her living and hating me than not having her live at all. I had to come clean. I have to do everything possible to make up for what I’ve done. I want to do as much as I can—for her. I’m doing this for her. I know that’s the wrong reason to do this. The rest of them will hate me too. I don’t know what you want to do with this information. That’s up to you. I’ll do what you need. I’m following your orders. I know John dying is a possibility but our actions have led to this.”

There. That was everything. All there was left to do was wait for Coulson. I don’t have the patience but I know that Coulson is done listening to me. What are you gonna do to me? Will you help? Do you believe me?

“Koenig? How did he do?” Coulson didn’t move his glare away from me as he asked his question. Coulson started unhooking me.

“I don’t see anything here, Sir. Everything he said was honest. Although I don’t know how I should feel about that.” Koenig turned the screen he was looking at off and came around to stand by Coulson. “What do you think, Sir?”

“I didn’t lie. I want to protect Skye. I thought everything we were doing had a point. I thought John and I had similar goals. The goal was getting him better. Sometime between when I met him to now-” I stopped talking as I realized something. Was this always his goal? We were trying to get him to full strength. I was trying to get him to full strength. Did he play me? Was Hydra his goal all along? Did He really believe in their thinking? “He changed what we were doing. I was too busy being loyal that I didn’t think about what I was doing.” I needed to make sure Coulson believed me. “I need you to believe me. I need you to trust me because if you don’t trust me, then I’ll never stand a chance with her.”

I didn’t care about what I was doing. Not until Skye. Believe me, Coulson.

“I don’t know how much I trust what you’ve said. I know you care about Skye. Yes, she will hate you. I wish I could shoot you right now but I don’t think that would be best in the long run. Stay here where we can keep an eye on you. I can use you to bring down Garrett. I may not trust you but I do trust Skye with you. Play along with Garrett’s plan. Help me. Help SHIELD bring down Hydra. If you help us bring them down then you’ll be closer to earning her forgiveness when all this ends. She might hate you for a long time but I do believe she’ll know your regret. And Ward, if you somehow lied and passed this test, I will find you and make you sorry. Do not give Garrett any real information. If you help make this right then I promise you that you’ll receive a fair trial within SHIELD.”

Play Garrett? Can I do that? I’ve given them everything else. I’ve betrayed John but after what he is planning to do to Skye, that doesn’t matter. “What do you want me to do?”

“Stay here. Some of those enhanced people you and Garrett let loose from the Fridge are going after innocent people. I’m taking Trip and Fitzsimmons to capture one of them. Stay here with Skye and Koenig. I’ll leave May behind to oversee things. I won’t tell her about this but she’ll keep an eye. Try to hold Garrett off for another day.”

“Sir,” I chimed in, “my orders were to bring you all down and take her within 24 hours if it didn’t go our way.”

“I said stall him dammit. I’m gonna get that sonavabitch. But right now, I need to go get a man named Daniels.” Coulson started walking out of the room. “Koenig, get Ward a lanyard.”

I smiled at Koenig who looked like he couldn’t believe it.

A few moments later, I exited the room with my lanyard. This is going to work. Coulson’s right. I have to do everything possible to help him. Skye will never be able to look at me if I’m part of why this group falls apart. She loves them all. I can’t take that away from her. Coulson will have to learn to trust me. I can do this.

“Ward.” Fitz was coming down the corridor. He looked flustered. It was obvious in the way he started going on about Trip that he was jealous. 

Fitzsimmons always looked like a unit. They belonged together even if they didn’t want to acknowledge what they had. I looked at Fitz and tried to defend Trip. I could have been like Trip. He worked with John for years and never wavered. I never learned to say no to John. “You sure this is about him? Not about Simmons?”

“What the hell does that mean?’ Fitz wasn’t having part of this conversation.

I tried again. “Everything is falling apart around us. We don’t know how it’ll end. If there’s something you want to tell her, don’t wait.” I should have been honest with Skye. If I was, I wouldn’t be in this mess.

Fitz frowned. “Maybe Simmons should check you again for a head injury cause that’s not the Ward that I know.”

I shook my head with frustration. Fine. Be stubborn. Why the hell do I even care? But I did care. “You know what? Do what you want. I don’t care.” I started walking away, irritated at Fitz’s stupidity. 

“Good to have you back.” Fitz remark made me turn to face him.

Is he used to me being an ass? Ok, probably.

When I finally found Skye, she was trying to convince Koenig of something. 

Skye noticed me come in and turned to ask, “Can you help me convince Steve Rodgers here to suit up, grab his shield, head into battle?” She went back to direct the last bit at Koenig.

I was confused and a little amused. “Ok. Who’s he supposed to battle?”

As she explains, Koenig gives me a look.

If I don’t agree with her she’ll know something’s up. Back her up. “Well, she’s right. It’s worth trying.”

As she convinces Koenig, I can’t help but admire her once more. Damn, she’s smart. And she’s going to figure me out.

She gets the go ahead and says it’ll take her about an hour.

“I can see why you love her.” Koenig pulls my attention because I was watching her leave. “She’s got spunk. But you get that her doing this moves your timeline up. She’ll get those images up and she’ll know who you really are.”

I nod. “Yes, but it wouldn’t have helped if I went against her. I usually back her up in these situations. So, if I would have said no, she’d know something was up. Skye isn’t stupid.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Get Coulson on the line. I’m going to have to take Skye to Garrett.” Saying it put me back in panic mode.

“If you take her, he’ll kill her.”

I shook my head. Damn, this is going to hurt but it’s the only way. “No. He won’t kill her. Skye will realize who I am. I can’t tell her but she’ll figure it out. Once she does, she’s smart. She’ll buy herself time. She’s resourceful. I’m hoping she figures a way to get out. If not, I’ll empty my gun on John myself. Now, get Coulson on the line.”

Coulson couldn’t talk. Things on his end were more serious than expected and for some reason he sounded even more pissed at me. He told them to figure it out and hung up the phone. Damn, what did that guy Daniels do?

“Ok. I have a plan but you’re not gonna like it.” I warned Koenig.

“Let me have it.” Koenig looked game.

“How do you feel about me killing you?” I smiled with humor.

“Excuse me?” Koenig took a couple of steps back and he laughed out of nervousness.

“I’m gonna have to kill you.” This other part of the plan will not be fun. “At least, it will look like I killed you. I need Skye to be scared of me. I need her to be angry with me. We can’t tell her. I love her but she’s not a spy. She can’t sell a story. If she believes that I killed you then she’ll escape. I know Skye enough to know that she can handle herself. She’s a fast learner. I just need to go knock out May.” That’s going to be the hard part. May is tough. She’s going to fight back. I’m going to have to take her by surprise. I can’t tell her the truth because she’ll never believe me not with Coulson gone. And I can’t just take Skye, May would not let me that either. Ok, Melinda. Hopefully I can get the drop on you.

Again, Koenig laughed but this time it was genuine. “Good luck. What do you want me to do?”

“Let me take care of May first. I’ll get back to you.” I walked out trying to think of how I was going to do this.


	2. Chapter 2: Lying to Skye

WARD:  
I couldn’t believe it. May was leaving. Never in a million could I have ever guessed that. She doesn’t think Coulson can ever trust her again. But this works for me now, there’s no time to try to set her straight. This leaves me open to Skye.

I head back to Koenig. If I ever knocked her out, I’d never hear the end of it. And I winced. I’d slept with May. Once she found out I was Hydra she was going to want to kill me. Coulson better protect me.

“Skye’s good. She’s already in. Did you take care of Agent May?” Agent Koenig was already looking at images from the NSA. 

I had to smile. That’s my girl. She was killing my timeline though.

“May left.” 

“She what? Why?” 

“She doesn’t think Coulson doesn’t trust her.”

“Did you at least try to make her stay?”

I shook my head. “Why would I do that? It’s better that she’s out of my way. I didn’t look forward to knocking her out. She’d have killed me. Coulson will sort it out when he’s back. She’s not my concern. Right now, I have to make it convincing that I killed you.” I motion him toward me.

He hesitates. “Yea, I was thinking about that. What if you were to just knock me out?” Koenig didn’t look like he wanted to get punched.

I sigh. “I won’t hit you. OK how about this, I just strangle you or slice your neck open?”

Koenig winced but I waited as he thought about it. “Ok, I think I still have some fake blood from Halloween.” I watch as he scrambles away.

He came back with a bucket. A bucket. I raised an eyebrow. “My brother’s and I are into cosplay.” He shrugged.

We set up the scene and, in the end, I had to ice him because he kept fidgeting. This needed to look real.

Here goes nothing.

I find Skye looking at the images exactly where I’d found Koenig. I take a deep breath. I’m not ready for this.

She asks where Koenig is and I just rattle something out without thinking about it much. Next I move onto May and tell Skye that she’s gone.

Skye shakes her head. “Wow. So, no goodbye? No nothing?”

I shake my head and shrug.

“She never felt anything for us, did she? She just played us to keep an eye on Coulson.” She looks angry but I can she the pain in her eyes.

Shit. She thinks one more home just closed the door on her.

“That was her mission.” I didn’t know if I’m telling her about May or myself.

She looks at me a second. Something changes in her eyes. “Did you feel anything for her?”

Was that jealousy in her eyes? Ha. I wish.

“Um, no. The only comfort we took in each other was knowing we didn’t have to.” I clear my throat.

“You can’t choose to feel.” She’s challenging me.

“Usually I can.” I know the smile on my face looks sad. I try to recover. “It’s different for us.”

“Us is a strong word.” She says as I grab a bottle to get a drink. She continues, “I mean, I know I kissed you, but to be fair, I thought there was a 97% chance that we were gonna die.” She chuckles because she’s nervous. “But we didn’t die.”

I give her a small smile. “Which is good.”

“Yes, that is very good. But there’s still no rush on us being an “us”. It’s not like it’s a good time to start anything.”

Skye, if you only knew. “There’s never a good time. We got to start somewhere.”

I hand her the drink and she looks right into my soul as she smiles.

We sit on the couch and start having a nice talk. I’m telling her that as a specialist we need to keep a distance from people. She jokes with me making it look so easy but nobody has ever done it with me. She’s the only one who’s ever treated me like a regular Joe. Even when she was intimidated with me, she didn’t let that stop her from poking fun and making jokes. 

“You’re different.” I tell her. 

“Different bad?” She really wants to know.

“Bad for me.” I have to be honest. “I didn’t want to think about you. I wanted to stay focused. And then I saw you after you were shot fighting to stay alive…” I hesitate. I’m all but saying the words now. I love you, Skye. “But you’re right. I’m Kevlar. You’re not.”

“You don’t have to be.” She urges. 

I’m trying, Skye. I’m trying for you.

“You don’t have to shut people out.” She searches my eyes. 

I’m afraid. “Yeah, I do.” I can’t even look at her for a second. “There are things about me that you wouldn’t like if you knew.” So many things. 

“You think I don’t have skeletons.” She frowns refusing to believe the ugly side of me.

She needs to see me for the piece of shit I am. “It’s different. You’re good.”

“So are you.” She believes it through and through. 

I wish I could be good for you. I wish I hadn’t been blind. John may be manipulative but I chose to kill all those people. “Not always.” I hesitate. Maybe I should tell her a little more about Christian. “I lied to you. My older brother, he didn’t beat up my younger brother. He was crueler than that. He made me do it. And I let him. I was afraid of him.”

She can’t believe it. She takes a deep breath and for a second, I think she won’t look at me again. “What about your parents?”

“They were worse.” It’s a simple answer. “I am not a good man, Skye.” I’m lost. Do I want her to believe me or do I want her to believe in me?

“Hey.” She stands from where she’s at and comes sits next to me. She takes my hand and takes my chin into her other hand to look her in the eye. “Yes, you are.” Her eyes are begging me to believe her. I want to believe her. 

Again, I’m lost. I know this will probably my only chance. I look for confirmation in her eyes before I lean in and kiss her. 

My hand makes its way to the back of her head to hold her to me. She responds, instantly kissing me back. Her hands are mimicking mine and settle on each side of my face.

She pulls away because she has blood—fake blood on her hands. Shit. I’m out of time. 

I apologize and tell her I’m gonna clean up. She insists on helping but I brush her off. She’s about to hate me. The time has come for her to find “Koenig’s body”.

I go clean the fake blood off me and give her enough time to explore. I wipe the cameras clean and make my way and leave a note for Coulson. I don’t know if he’ll want to involve the whole team or not. I don’t even know if he’ll agree with my plan but that doesn’t matter now. 

I go looking for Skye. When I find her, she looks a little off and my insides turn. She found him. She hates me.

I have to give it to her though. She plays it off like all is well. But I know her too well. She’s looking at me different. This is how she will always look at you now that she knows you’re a monster.

I knew she’d hate me from the beginning. It was partially why I’d waited so long to turn myself into Coulson.

She kisses me to make me believe she loved the first kiss and I’m weak enough that I kiss her back. I’m selfish. I know I shouldn’t be kissing her. She doesn’t want to be kissing me.

She looks me in the eye and lies. She said she wants this and asks what I want. I want this to be real. I want you not to hate me. But it’s time.

“What I want?” Nothing I can have. “What I want is to stay here with you and imagine the world outside doesn’t exist.” I take a deep breath. “But the world outside does exist. I just got word from Fitz. They need our help. The bus is fueled up, ready to go.”

I see she’s afraid. She doesn’t want to go with me. I shatter on the inside. She doesn’t want to be anywhere near me. She tries to make excuses, to push off leaving. I take her by the hand and pull gently. “Hey, we need to go right now.”

She agrees and as we’re walking toward the hanger, I reach for her hand. She takes it. Although I know that’s not what she wants to be doing, I take pleasure in it. I take in her warmth, her soft skin, trying to memorize every bit of her before we get to where we’re going.

Once the bus is in the air, I let her know that she needs to decrypt the hard drive. I can see her thinking and making an exit plan just by looking into her eyes. I smile at her. I smile because she’s going to get away. She’s going to put a plan in motion and get away. She’s smart. She won’t get hurt by John.

I can feel her looking at me. She smiles anytime I look at her but when I turn away, I can feel the hate boring into me. I try to ignore it and when I can’t, I try to get used to it.

I hate you, John. 

I’m nervous. Even at the dinner, I keep fidgeting. I know Coulson is probably back at the base. I hope he finds my note and nobody else sees. Although, I don’t know how much he’s told the rest of the group of how he’s going to want to proceed. He’s gonna be mad.

John’s probably pissed it’s taking me so long. I’m going to be getting a phone call soon enough. I want to buy more time for Skye to get away without giving away what I’m doing. I can’t let her know because John would know if she was lying. Dammit. 

“You’re staring again.” Skye isn’t amused. Her patience with me is weighing. 

“I’m not allowed to do that?” 

“I told you, it’s a complicated hack.” She faces the laptop at me with what looks like a tone of mumbo jumbo.

“You’ve mistaken my admiration for impatience.” I swing the laptop back facing her.  
She’s getting mad. “No, it’s impatience.”

“Ok. Sorry. Didn’t mean to stress you out.” Only, she knows me and every part of my being is unstable. I’m nervous and fidgety. My super spy cooling powers are no longer working. We’re out in the open and I’m scared that John will march in through the door and hurt her.

She looks me in the eye and suggests that I duck outside and try the sat phone. You are just itching to get away from me. Good girl. Although it hurt non-the less. 

“No.” I shake my head. “We stick together and we stick to the plan.” It would be easy to do just that, go outside and let her escape but John would know that I had let her. It had to look like she’d outsmarted me. 

“The sooner we decrypt this hard drive,” I gave her a look.

“The sooner we can get to them. I heard you twice the first time.” She gives me a fake grin and gets back to it. “It” being whatever the hell it was she was doing because I knew it wasn’t decrypting anything.

“Are you alright?” I can’t help myself and reach out to touch her hand. “You look nervous.”

“How can you tell, superspy?” She’s being sarcastic and it makes me smile. 

“Staying unnaturally still to keep from fidgeting, maintaining eye contact to give the impression of confidence. What’s wrong.” There was still time to teach her. She was MY ROOKIE after all.

She takes a second to catch her breath and starts her lie, “The last time I was in this booth, I was sitting across from Mike Peterson. A good man, and now he’s a murderer. And we are the FBI’s most wanted. It’s just like any moment, something could go horribly wrong.”

I let her believe I buy what she’s telling me. “Relax. You’re doing great.”

“Hiding what I’m thinking and feeling, it doesn’t come as easy for me as it does for you.”

Sweetheart, I’ve had practice. “Well, it comes with experience.”

“Yea, I guess it does.” But I’m not paying attention to her now because 2 cops come into the dinner.

Fuck. If we stay here longer we’re going to be made.

I let Skye work will my insides turned. “How much longer?” I asked then I couldn’t sit still any longer.

“Half-hour.” She doesn’t look up. She looks serious.

“You said that half an hour ago.”

She has a small smile as she drinks and says, “Weren’t you the one who told me to relax?”

I lean on my hand and motion with my eyes. “Those cops over there keep looking at us.” I need to keep her safe. 

She glances their way. “They’re just checking out the waitress.” She goes back to her computer. “They don’t know you’re pretending to be someone you’re not.”

I chuckle nervously. The time is here. She’s going to confront me. “Yea. Right. Who am I pretending to be?”

“My impatient boyfriend.”

I look out the window. “I like that cover.” There’s another cop car passing us. My face falls. I’m out of time dammit. Time to say goodbye.

“What’s the longest you’ve been undercover? Like, deep undercover?” She’s trying to distract me.

“Um, 16 months.” I have to play along.

“When was that?”

“Mm, about five years outside of the academy.” Those cops are making me nervous. I don’t want Skye getting hurt. “I posed as a Russian attaché at the embassy in Warsaw.”

“That’s got to be so hard, living a double life like that, getting close to people, only to turn on them. I don’t know how Garrett did it.”

It hurts. I know she’s speaking to me but I can’t deny that she’s wrong. I did turn on them. Her. “Garrett?”

“Think about all that time he spent as your S.O., getting to know you, bring your mentor—only to lie to your face, betray you like that.”

I swallow. Damn, sweetheart. Stab me right in the heart why don’t you. I’m fighting now. I’m trying to do the right thing.

“It was, uh, difficult to accept. But thankfully that’s over.”

“Because you took care of him.” She dared me with her comment.

I’m weak. Maybe I should tell her what I’m doing. “Can we not discuss this right now?”

“If you had one more moment before you shot him in the back of the head, so heroically, if he was sitting right here and you could say anything you want. What would you say?” her anger is spilling through.

I want to cringe. “Skye.”

She kept on. It seemed she had reached her limit. “Would you say he’s disgusting? Would you tell him he’s a disgusting backstabbing traitor? Or to rot in hell?”

I’m sick to my stomach. This is just the tip of her hatred for me. She will always look at me like this. “What are you doing?”

“I’m just trying to have an honest conversation for once.” It’s like she throwing knives and they all hit their target.

The cops are moving people away. “They’re starting to clear people out. We should go.” I get up. I can’t worry about her hating me right now. I have to keep her safe.

“No, I think I’m good right here.” She’s not moving.

“Skye, we’ve been made. Come on.” I urge her.

“No.” She turns the laptop to me. My picture is on the screen. “I tipped them off.”

I look at the screen, at a loss for words.

“Hail Hydra.” 

Damn. She played me. She’s so fucking smart. It all made sense now. She had bought enough time to do exactly what I knew she’d do. You did it, Skye.

The cops move in and she gives me away, telling them I’m armed. I need to make sure she gets away from me but I can’t let them take her. I fight my way through the cops as she collects her things to run.

As I make my way through the dinner, I see two cops slam her against their car and I see red. Motherfuckers.

I don’t hesitate as I shoot them. In that moment, I know I can’t kill them. Skye would only hold that against me too. So, I make sure I injure them enough to go down but no real damage.

She runs into the car and starts to drive off.

That’s right, sweetheart. Get away from here. Run to Coulson. He’ll keep you safe.

But I still yell at her through the window that I won’t hurt her. She needs to believe that before she gets away.

I stop running. There’s no way anyone could think I could keep up but before I smile, I notice someone in the middle of the road.

Fuck. That’s Mike Peterson. Shit. Fuck. No. Garrett got her. He got her. Somehow Garrett knew she’d get away from me or I’d let her know. Both of us were going to die.

I start running again as Mike jumps in the air and lands on the hood of the car. Shit. Don’t you fucking hurt her. “Mike!” I push myself to get there as fast as I can and see the car swerve and suddenly brake.

Wheels squeal and I hear glass brake. “Skye!”


	3. Chapter 3: Down go Fitzsimmons

WARD:  
I’m pacing back and forth. I’m so pissed.

Skye is still knocked out but the med team checked her out and assured me that she’s ok. She’s slumped against the wall of the plane and I’m trying not to look at Mike Peterson.

He knows how pissed I am. “You should be thanking me. I saved your ass.”

I finally turn to him. “You didn’t save my ass.” I approach him. “You turned it into a public spectacle.”

He looks me in the eye and says, “You let her get one over one you. That’s exactly what Garrett was afraid of.”

I want to snap at him but I’m no match for Deathlock. “And Garrett told you to stay out of sight.”

Mike takes one step toward me. “He ordered me to shadow you. He knew you had a soft spot for Skye and she might take advantage of it.”

Speaking of her, she begins to stir and I try to hide my relief. “Well he was wrong.” I don’t look at Skye. “We have her and once she gives us the location, we’ll be off.”

“Yeah,” her voice is weak and hoarse, “that’s not gonna happen.” She gets up slowly. I want to help her but stay put.

I look at Mike and tell him, “Take a walk. I can handle this.” It’s hard but I turn to Skye.

“Can you?” She asks. “You haven’t so far.”

“Garrett says you have 5 minutes.” Mike warns and walks off.

I turn back to Skye and she has a murderous look to her. “I can explain,” I start.

And she lunges for me. She pushes and starts hitting me. Yelling at me, “Lying bastard! Son of a bitch!” She punches me, “You lying—”

And as much as I deserve it, I take her hands in mine and yell, “Stop. Stop. Stop!” I force her to look at me. I can see she’s angry but so hurt. She’s losing it and trying not to cry.

Stay in character. I’m Hydra. “Ok? Ok? It’s over. You can’t win.” I try to be softer with her, to try to make her understand. “Ok?”

She takes the opportunity to hit me in the nose with the top of her head like I’ve taught her. 

“Stop.” I repeat and handcuff her to the staircase. If I don’t stop her now she’s going to get more violent and Garrett is not going to let that fly.

I go grab a towel to wipe my bleeding nose. I shake my head. Damn. She’s hot when she’s angry. Good for you, sweetheart. Keep fighting.

“All this time,” her voice breaks and I stop in my tracks, “everything we’ve been through—why? How could you?” 

I steel myself. “I was on a mission. It wasn’t personal.”

“It was—” she’s baffled, “you did not just say that. It wasn’t personal!” Her anger is back but I can see the pain underneath it. I can see her thinking back to all the times she opened up and the words I’ve just said to her.

“Skye, listen to me.” I try approaching her and I soften my voice. I have to try to make her understand who I was when I did those things. 

“God, I might actually believe that. You—that I—that is the twisted logic that they teach you when you sign up to be a Nazi.”

I’m confused. That’s what she’s getting from this. That I’m a Nazi. “Stop. Wait.” I get closer to her. “I’m not a Nazi.”

“Yes, you are.” Her eyes are big. She thinks she’s telling me something like I don’t know who I am. That is exactly what you are. It’s in the SHIELD handbook, chapter 1. The Red Skull, founder of Hydra, was a big, fat, freaking Nazi.”

Oh, for the love of God. That’s what she’s mad about. I’ve killed people and she thinks I’m a Nazi. “That has nothing to do with today.”

“You know you always had that Hitler youth look to you. Jeez. So, it’s really not that surprising.”

I frown. I look like Hitler in his youth? What the hell? I ignore her comment, “It’s not like that. I’m a spy. I had a job.”

“You’ve killed I don’t know how many people.” She accused.

I can’t deny that. 

“You gonna kill me now?”

I could never. “No. I would never hurt you.”

“Once I crack the drive, are you just gonna shoot me like you did with Thomas Nash, or are you gonna have someone else do it,” she hesitates for a minute trying to say the rest, “like you did with Quinn?”

“I didn’t know that was going to happen. That was all Garrett.”

She doesn’t believe me. “Oh, of course it was all Garrett’s fault. That was part of the mission. Right? You were just gonna kick back and watch me bleed until it’s your turn to pull the trigger.” Her eyes are filled with tears but she holds them.

Her accusation makes my stomach turn. “You think I had a part in that?” I know that’s what it might look like but for her to actually think that I would do something like that to her brakes my heart. I can feel the tightness of it. “That I would let that happen to you?”

I take a step towards her. Her face gives her away. She can see the change in me with her last comment.

“You know how I feel about you, Skye.” Believe me. That wasn’t a lie. I love you.

“Wait. So even though you’ve been lying to everyone about everything, you’re saying your feelings for me—”

“They’re real, Skye.” I finish for her. I take her face in my hands. “They always have been.”

She pulls away. I can see fear in her eyes. Something crosses her eyes and she says, “I’m gonna throw up.”

My whole body flinches. Exactly how I knew you’d feel.

She can’t hold back the tears anymore and I let her cry. I move as far away as I can and keep an eye out for Mike. But I can’t help myself, “Do you—do you think this has been easy for me? Do you have any idea how hard it was?” How many times I wanted to tell you? How hard it was to follow Garrett once I knew he was the Clairvoyant? “The sacrifices?” I sacrificed myself for him. “The decisions I had to make? But I made them. Because that’s what I do.” What I did before YOU. “I’m a survivor.”

Skye’s eyes search mine. “You are a serial killer.” She clarifies. She takes a deep breath. “And you know what? You were right about one thing. I wouldn’t like the real you.”

That’s why I’m committed to this. That’s why I went to Coulson. “Someday—someday you’ll understand.”

“No,” she shook her head, “I won’t. And I will never—ever give you what you want.”

My heart broke. I’d almost forgotten about the stupid drive. Oh, sweetheart. You’ll have to or John will try to kill you.

I have to walk away and give her a minute but it’s not long before I see Mike Peterson walking like he’s on a mission towards Skye.

I jump up and get in front of him.

“Times up.” I warn Skye. “Tell me where to unlock the drive or you can tell him.”

She tries to beg Mike for help. She tries to reason with him but she doesn’t know how far Hydra has gone to keep him in line.

He steps up to her and threatens her to unlock the drive.

Damn it, you little stubborn, beautiful hellfire. “Damn it, Skye.” Mike Peterson won’t hesitate. 

“You could have shot me back in Italy, but you didn’t. They made Quinn do it because there’s still good in you, Mike, and I don’t think you’re gonna hurt me.” Skye stood her ground.

Mike inhales. “You’re right. I won’t hurt you.” He turns around and shoots something at me.

I grab at my chest. Oh, what the hell? Damn you, Garrett. I looked at Skye. I was useless. I was going to die and she’d be defenseless.

“What—what—what did you do to him?”

“Stopped his heart.” Mike explained.

“His heart?” She whispers.

I’m trying to catch my breath. I can see the pain in her eyes return. And I curse myself because I let it get this far. I allowed myself to open up to her and let her care about me. Now, even with all the hatred she felt towards me, she still cared. I could tell seeing me like that was hurting her.

“His heart isn’t beating. He’s having a heart attack. I can restart it or not.” Mike was allowing Skye to decide whether I lived or died.

I wanted to tell her to let me die but I couldn’t get any words out. I was trying to ignore the pain but it was getting to be too much. My vision was becoming blurry.

I tried calling her name. I couldn’t tell if I was making sense.

I couldn’t make out more of what Mike Peterson was saying but I could see his mouth move.

Skye responded. What are you saying?

Mike got closer to her and I wanted to push him away. But I was paralyzed to my spot.

My body slid to it’s side. All I could see was the wall and then it slowly dimmed out. I could no longer breathe.

I don’t know how long I was out but it’s couldn’t have been long. A sharp pain stabbed me in the heart and it let me breathe. My heart was beating again. I could breathe. I took a deep breath and gasped.

I was still catching my breath but I could see Mike grabbing and pulling Skye. Then, all of a sudden he was next to me, pulling me to my feet.

“You—you son of a bitch!” My breath was shallow. My voice had no anger to it, just exhaustion.

He had the audacity to tell me to get the plain in the air. I tried to push him off and explained that I could barely stand.

He clicked something that made the thing on my chest run electricity though me. He slapped me in the face, “that should help.”

I starred at him as he walked away. Knowing I shouldn’t hate him but the man behind giving him orders.

Fuck you, John. I’m bringing you down. I’m gonna kill you myself.

I left without looking at Skye and yanked the damn thing off my chest.

Getting ready to leave, Maria Hill put a plane in our path. What the hell else is gonna go wrong today?

I pretended not to see Coulson as he stowed away into the bus. I let my conversation with Maria go on until I knew he was safely inside. Coulson was here for Skye. I’d continue on with Mike to meet Garrett.

It wasn’t too long before I saw the cargo door open. I made my way down with enough time to see Coulson get in Lola with Skye. I ducked from the shots and emptied some into the windshield, nowhere near their heads and I knew they wouldn’t go through.

Thank you, Coulson. I saw them back out and into the air they went.

I argue with Mike about getting Skye back and threaten him now that I don’t have that damn thing on my chest. I don’t actually want to go get her but that’s what I’d be pulling if I was still what did Maria call it? Garrett’s lapdog.

By the time I get back to John, he’s already over Skye and moving on to a kill list he has. I hate being around him and Raina.

I want to hate Mike but Garrett makes it obvious that the only reason the guy is doing anything is because they have his son. 

Garrett is making him cross people off his list and for some reason ignores the hate stares Mike gives him. If I could I’d give him the same look.

But I’m undercover. Garrett has taught me well. I bid my time and pretend to follow orders.

I try to stay out of his way for a couple of days but he confronts me. I argue with him about letting Skye get away and almost letting me die. As he argues with me but then, he has an attack and goes down.

I want to watch him suffer and die. The days of me being loyal are long gone but I don’t have my orders from Coulson. We still need Garrett. I need more information on what he’s planning so I can’t let him die.

I move him to a med bed and have everyone get out. After he’s better he tells me he has a month to live.

We head to Cuba and my skin crawls when I see Quinn in the barber shop. I want to kill him with every ounce of my being. My fingers itch to grip him by the neck. I want to see the life leave his eyes.

I play along once again. But I’m itching to get out of this skin. This isn’t me anymore. I’m SHIELD now. Not Hydra. And I have to remind myself of that. Skye wouldn’t want me to kill Quinn anyway, no matter how much she hates him. SHIELD doesn’t kill.

Raina calls me and I go to see what she wants.

She’s rambling on about Garrett and the formula. I try to pay attention but I don’t really care until she says it has something to do with Skye.

“Skye?” I hate that she sees that I’m now paying attention.

“I probably shouldn’t be talking to you about this,” she’s very good at manipulation, “I should go straight to Garrett.”

I know what she’s doing but I don’t care. I don’t want anything about Skye with Garrett. “Garrett’s got more important things to worry about,” I grab her by the arm. I can see her stupid smile and I want to slap it off her face, “You can tell me instead.”

“I’ve been looking through the files that Skye downloaded from the plane. And in addition to medical records, I found hospital files, adoption-agency searches.”

I shrugged. “Skye’s an orphan. Been looking for her parents for a while. It’s not exactly a secret.”

“But that’s what intrigued me. That and her DNA. It appears to be a match for someone I heard about a long time ago.”

“You know something about Skye’s history?”

“I can’t confirm it’s her but I did hear a story about a baby girl. Years ago, a village in the Hunan Providence in China. It was destroyed, every man, woman and child, torn apart by monsters trying to find that baby.”

I frowned. “Did the monsters kill the baby’s parents?”

Raina shook her head. “No. That’s what so interesting. The baby’s parents were the monsters.”

I had to leave her there. I couldn’t let her continue. I didn’t know if anyone was listening and if they were, I didn’t want Garrett to know any of it. He had ears everywhere.

It wasn’t long before Garrett found me and asked me why Raina had texted me earlier. I lie smoothly. He looks like bought it.

Garrett was moving everything; afraid Coulson would be here soon after stealing all the Deathlock files from Cybertek.

We were getting ready to board when Mike spotted something and came to tell Garrett. “Sir, I have 2 SHIELD agents there,” he pointed.

My heart stopped. Fuck. Don’t let it be Skye. Don’t let it be Skye.

“Can you I.D them?” Garrett looked toward where Mike had pointed.

Mike nodded. “Fitz and Simmons.”

I couldn’t sign in relief. After Skye, Fitzsimmons were the most vulnerable. They stood no chance if Mike or any of Garrett’s agents went to pick them up.

Coulson, please tell me you kept them in the dark. “I’ll bring them on board.”

“Why? Shoot them on site.” Garrett continued boarding the plan.

“If I bring them with us, we’re safe from Coulson trying to shoot us down. If those two are here, then Coulson isn’t too far.” He argued.

“Fine. Don’t kill them. Bring them on board.”

Hold on guys, I’ll get you out of this. I made my way to them, hoping they knew nothing of me working with Coulson. They were horrible liars.

I walked into the building as Fitz was coming out. “Long time no see.” I said giving nothing away.

I led the way back to the bus. Fitz was trying to talk to me and Simmons started telling him it was no use. Pretty soon It was like I wasn’t even there. They were arguing as usual. I hid my smile as best I could and listened to them banter. It wasn’t until we were getting on our bus that I told them to shut up. Garrett wouldn’t find them as amusing as I did.

“Here they are.” I told Garrett.

“This is our plane. We want it back.” Fitz’s voice was serious. 

Again, I hid my smile. Damn Fitz. You’ve got balls.

“Really? Just like that kid?” Garrett gave his guys orders and I saw Fitz reaching for something. If it as a gun, Garrett would kill him.

I grabbed Fitz hand to stop him.

Garrett asked to see what it was. Fitz had a quarter and a joke toy buzzer. I tell Garrett and he starts walking away just as Fitz hits the buzzer.

A light behind us goes off and Garrett says it’s an EMP.

“Looks like the jokes on you.” Fitz looks satisfied in what he’s done.

Dammit, Fitz. He’s gonna kill you.

I run to try to save his life. We still need him. When I come back, Fitz is pushing Garrett to the limit by saying he’s not sorry he did it. Fitz tells me I don’t have to help Garrett anymore.

If you only knew. Dammit, what should I do? Coulson, what would you want me to do? “Get them out of here.” I order the men holding them.

It’s the only think I can think of.

Garrett grabs me. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Yeah. Anything.” I answer in my most loyal tone.

“Put down Fitz and Simmons.”

I hide what I feel. “What? No. There’s plenty of time. I won’t leave you.”

Garrett is pissed. “And I’m telling you to cross them off for me. That’s not a weakness is it?” Fuck you. I think of Buddy and push the thought out immediately. 

“No.”

He pushes me. “Then take care of them.” He says something about cheating death but I’m no longer paying attention.

My mind is going a mile a minute. What am I going to do?

When I get to Fitz and Simmons, they’ve managed to get away from the goons. But as soon as they see me, they race away.

They run straight into a module. 

“Open the door, Fitz.” I try to look angry but inside I’m screaming to keep the door closed. I know what Garrett wants me to do to them. They’re safer inside the module.

“Ward, please…” Fitz starts, “I need to understand.”

“You need to accept the truth, Fitz. He doesn’t care about us, about anything.”

Fitz is shaking his head. Simmons won’t even look at me but I glance at her anyway. Someday, Jemma, someday you’ll see I was trying to protect you. 

“No. I don’t believe that.” Fitz is still shaking his head. “We’re friends. Aren’t we? We’ve been friends. We’ve had laughs together.”

I look down. I hate being this person. I hate that they see me this way.

But Fitz was still fighting for me. “I know that you’re a good person, Ward. And you can choose right now to be good. It’s a choice.”

I shake my head. I can’t let you know we’re friends, Fitz. “I’ve got my orders. Open up the door.”

“No.” Jemma finally looks at me.

“Not a chance.” Fitz takes a step back. 

The answer suddenly pops in my head. Find them, Coulson. “Fine. Have it your way.”

Both of them freak out when they see what I’m about to do and both try to stop me. I tell them that I do care about them and it’s a weakness. And it is. I’ll admit that. If I didn’t care about them being undercover would be easier. I could just shoot them and prove myself to Garrett.

I watch them as they watch me as the module detaches and drops from the plane.

It’s hurtful to watch them fall. But the module was made to withstand any circumstance. We’re over the ocean now. They’ll float, hopefully long enough for Coulson to find them. I need to get somewhere to send a message to Coulson but I run into Raina and Garrett.

She’s given him the serum.

He starts acting weird. From that point forward it’s like Garrett’s lost his mind. He’s breaking down doors and writing on the glass with nails and screws.

I approach him and ask more or less if we’re done with Hydra. I ask if he’d done now but he says he has plans.

I watch him and say nothing. I need to talk to Raina. I have no idea what the hell is going on.

I find a burner phone on a table and swipe it. I have to tell Coulson to look for Fitzsimmons. I wrack my brain for a way to get a message to him but I can’t think of anything. Did Coulson even have a phone on him? Dammit. There’s no way of sending a message without getting caught. I had to trust in Coulson. Trust that he would find our team in time. I don’t know that the module will keep floating.


	4. Chapter 4: Agreements with the Director of SHIELD

With the compound under attack, Garrett wants to insult a General and other Military high ranked men. All of them are moving slightly towards Garrett. 

Hurry up, Coulson.

Holy hell! Garrett puts his arm through the Generals body and lifts him from the inside. Coulson, this is past the line. I have to kill him now. I can’t wait. Garrett’s gone insane.

I have no idea why I’m talking to Coulson like he can hear me. Maybe it’s because I know that the gunfire outside is him and the rest of our team.

Garrett is saying that this is the beginning and I can’t help but ask, “The beginning of what, John?”

“The end.” He announces finally killing the General.

I leave Garrett and take the remaining 6 army men with me to keep them safe. Then, I notice Raina is missing. She’s on the bus, grabbing her things and taking the Gravitonium.

I grab her and yank her. “You’re not going anywhere. You think you can just steal the Gravitonium?”

“It was given to us.”

“What the hell did you say to Garrett?”

“I listened.”

“He’s psychotic. Did you notice that? I just had to lock up six government officials because he butchered the seventh one. He completely lost it in there.”

“You’re wrong. Garrett’s not lost. Far from it—he’s connected now.”

I’m taken aback by her. They’re all fucking crazy. “Don’t tell me you’re following him into this madness. His talk on evolution…”

“I agree with him. You’re the one who follows him. But in this case, you should. For the first time, you both need the same thing, and so do I.”

“What are you talking about? I need him to get his head on straight.”

“Skye.” Raina says and takes a pause, “we need Skye and that’s all you ever wanted, isn’t it? The evolution he speaks of—she’ll be an important part of that, so go get her, Grant Ward.”

What the hell did they want with Skye. “Get her for what?”

“The world is going to change, and when it does, she can be yours.”

I almost laugh. “Wow. You really are crazy. Skye detests me. She thinks I’m a monster.” I go to a dark place as I speak and can’t hide it because Raina sees it.

“Are you?” She questions. “Is that your true nature, or is that what Garrett made you to be?”

She’s asking the very same question that I ask myself daily. “I don’t know.” I answer honestly. I’m trying not to be the monster.

“Well, we know about Skye’s parents, about the darkness that lies inside her. I believe in a world where her true nature will reveal itself. And when that day comes,” Raina grabbed her bag and started walking out, “maybe you two could be monsters together.”

I don’t know what kept me from following. The coward inside me wished for Skye to become a monster just like me. But just thinking it made my whole body churn in disgust. Skye could never be a monster.

I forget Raina. Coulson can deal with her later. Where the hell is Garrett? I find him after some searching and he looks relaxed.

“The compounds been hit. Raina and Quinn took off. We need to take action now. What are my orders?’

Garrett has a stupid smile on his face. “That’s up to you, son.”

“Wake up. Come back to reality, John. What do you need me to do?”

“You’ve already done it?”

I have no idea what he means but his cellphone rings so he ignores me. I’m at a loss. Garrett tells Mike it’s his handler and probably calling to tell him about what the soldiers are seeing. 

I have to take this shot. I’m sorry, Coulson. But it’s my only chance.

“Skye.” Garrett turns to me and I freeze. “You sound different on the phone…huskier.” Garrett listens.

What are you doing Skye? Don’t do anything dangerous.

“No, I’m not too concerned.” I listen in as Garrett talks to her. “You see, if anyone but the assigned handler gives the directive to one of my men, well, kaboom. Phil’s around? Great. We actually have a lot to talk about. Oh, and I wanted you to know—your scientist friends…they were brave until their last breath.” 

I take a deep breath. Damn you, John. You’ve just pissed her off.

Garrett turns to me. “Raina told me how special Skye is. I know you’ve seen that from the start. You want orders? Get her.”

I smile. “Thank you.”

I leave because I know Coulson won’t let Garrett walk away from this. I need to go help Skye. She’s not well advanced yet in training to defend herself against all of Hydra. I don’t care anymore about hiding my cover. I need to keep her safe.

My sweet girl is holding a phone and threatening Mikes handler, who appears to be strapped onto a chair. There are no men attacking her. The place is empty.

I can’t help but smile, willing to bet there’s no bomb in the backpack that’s strapped to the handler’s chest. “She’s not gonna kill you.” I announce and they both turn to me. “She had a chance to kill me before and couldn’t do it and she hates me…a lot.”

I keep my gun up in case any men show up and I don’t really know if there’s no bomb. Skye’s pissed so I can see her trying to do something to me.

There’s no time now to explain to her that I’m on her side.

“I feel sorry for you—betraying the only people who gave you a chance at being a decent human being. Fitz was a hero because he still wanted to give you that chance after everything. But some people are just born evil, I guess.”

That stopped me for a second. They still hadn’t found them? Had they died?

What the hell happened to the module? Did I kill them? That module was supposed to float dammit!

If I had killed them then maybe I am a monster. No. No, they can’t be dead. They just hadn’t found them yet.

“Yeah. Yeah, maybe they are.” I agreed with Skye. But her statement reminded me about Raina’s confession. “I’ve learned things about you, Skye—history—things you’ll want to know. You and I aren’t that different.”

Not because you’re a monster, Skye. We were both lost. Only, Coulson was the one who found you, not Garrett.

She chuckled. “You’re not the evil I was referring to. Garrett is evil.” She shook her head and looked at me as if it were the first time. “You’re just weak, doing anything you’re told. I hope Garrett orders you to walk into traffic.” She’s being deliberately mean.

I smile. You can do better than that, sweetheart. “You’re right, Skye. You woke up a weakness inside me. And for the first time in a while, I wanted something for myself.” So, I went to Coulson. “Maybe I’ll just take what I want,” I approach her, “wake up something inside you.” Damn, sweetheart, if only there was passion in there for me.

“I’m not afraid of you, Ward.” She takes the last step words me so that we are face to face. 

“You’re not gonna kill us with a bomb. You’d go too.” She’s trying to frighten me so I call her bluff.

“No. I have a weapon much better than a bomb that will absolutely destroy you.”

I’m confused. “And why’s that?”

“Because you slept with her, and she’s really pissed off.”

The punch comes out of nowhere.

Dammit, May. When the hell did she come back to the mix? I’m in trouble.

I try to fight her off. This bitch is crazy. We go through a wall and she’s beating the crap out of me. She’s going to kill me with a power saw. You couldn’t tell May at least, Coulson. Fuck. I’m gonna have to hurt her so she won’t kill me.

After fighting back and forth with her, I’m getting tired. I kick her twice. Dammit. Just go down, May. I don’t want to hurt you.

She takes a staple gun and shoots me three time on the foot. The pain is excruciating. 

I see her coming and know she’s gonna kill me. I have to try to explain now, “Wait, May,” but she hits me in the larynx and I can’t speak.

She kicks me with all the force she can muster. 

When I come to, I’m handcuffed and told to walk by some military men.

I try not to put pressure on my injured foot.

We walk by Coulson. He looks at me, gives nothing away and turns to May. “You got a chance to express all your feelings?”

“Is he still breathing?” She still looks pissed.

Coulson turns to me, “Guess she kept some of it to herself.”

“He’s having trouble speaking. I think I fractured his larynx.”

“Oh, good.” He steps up to me. “Your attempt to cross off Fitz and Simmons failed, but Fitz may not be the same again.” He’s telling me they found them and I’m relieved. “So,” Coulson continues, “I’m going to invent new ways to ruin the rest of your life. And we’ll do whatever’s necessary to get Hydra intel from you, but your torture—it’s gonna be internal.”

“And a little external.” May pipes in.

“Sure. Some of that.” Coulson agrees. “But you devoted your entire life to a deranged narcissist who never gave a damn about anyone and now he’s dead.”

I breathe easier. I knew Coulson would finish Garrett off. Thank God. Thank you, Coulson.

“You’ve got the rest of your life to wrestle with the question—who are you without him?” Coulson is looking at me and I know what he means. He’s telling me I’m free. He’s telling me where I go from here, is up to me.

I was taken to the holding cell of the bus and handcuffed to the table. It seemed like hours before Coulson walked in with “Director Fury?!” I can’t believe my eyes. Garrett swore Fury was dead.

“Grant Ward.” Fury pulled the chair in front of me on the opposite side of the table. He doesn’t look amused or happy to see me.

Coulson undoes my cuffs and sits next to Fury. “He’s not so happy to see you.”

I try not to gulp.

“You wouldn’t be happy either if Hydra had tried to kill you, Coulson.” Fury said matter of factly.

“Um…sir, I believe they tried to kill us all.” Coulson gave a small smile and looked back at me.

I look back at Fury. “Sir, I’m sorry. I take full responsibility for my actions. Whatever you decide is right.”

“What do you think, Director.” Fury turns to Coulson and my eye bulge.

Coulson? Director?

Coulson smiles again, I think it’s because he likes the title.

“Sir, as much as I want to throw Ward here into a cold sewage drain, I do believe he can be of some help to us. He came to me. I’ve told you everything he told us and I believe him. He had a crappy reason to give John Garrett up but he did it anyway.” It was a surprise to see Coulson defend me. His voice showed no malice. There was still anger but no hate.

“What about what he did to Fitzsimmons?” Fury’s question froze me in place.

I turn to Coulson. “What—what happened to Fitzsimmons?” I try to take deep breaths. I think I’m having a panic attack. I did kill them. “Did—did I—are they—?” 

Coulson looks at me for a while. I don’t know what he’s searching for or if he’s trying to decide if I can handle the answer that I’m about to hear. “The module they were in fell to the bottom of the ocean.”

I killed them. They ran out of oxygen. I killed Jemma. I feel damn tears in my eyes. She was always sweet to me, always trusting. She looked up to me like an older brother. I was supposed to protect her. And Fitz died still believing in me. He was always fun to annoy. He annoyed me right back. Always trying to get my approval. I let him down too. 

I hated crying. Crying was for the weak. They made me weak. They believed I’d protect them. They believed in me and I killed them. They made me weak.

“They’re not dead, Ward.” Coulson finished. “They sent out a signal which Fury found. But he found them almost too late.”

“It was supposed to float. Those things are supposed to float.” I knew that my voice sounded weak but I couldn’t put more energy or strength to it.

They’re alive. I wipe my tears.

“Fitz was without oxygen for a while. He’s still being monitored. We don’t know yet the extent of his injuries.” Coulson was struggling with his answer. “Simmons in still shaky but seems to be ok. Something happened down there. She’s not talking.”

I’m so sorry, Jemma. Fitz, hold on.

I hesitate because I don’t want to know the answer to the question I’m about to ask. “She hates me, doesn’t she? She’ll never forgive me. She thinks I tried to kill them now too?”

“You did a lot of damage before you came to me. There were years of deception. You cost agents and innocent bystanders their lives. Right now, we are working on trusting you. But what you did to Fitzsimmons—”

“Sir, Garrett wanted me to out a bullet in their head. That was all I could think to do to save their lives. That module was meant to float and it has a tracker,” I interrupt.

“The tracker was damaged with the fall. And we figured as much but again it doesn’t look good.” Coulson continues, “we’ll keep you prisoner until you “escape”. Help us bring down Hydra and we will exonerate you in the end, I promise. She’ll forgive you some day. But this isn’t about that right now. You have a lot of wrong to make right.”

I nod. I hope he’s right. “So, none of them know?”

“That you’re with us?” Coulson ask and I nod. He shakes his head. “I might bring May and Tripp into the mix but for now they have to believe that you’re still Hydra.”

I don’t understand why but I know enough not to ask. I have to follow orders.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but they’re not great at lying. And if we want Hydra to believe you’re still on their side then the team still needs to believe you lied to them.” Coulson explained.

I turn to Fury, who hasn’t said anything but it still looking at me. “I would stay away from Hill if I were you. No matter who’s side your on, she vetted you and she’s not too happy with you.”

I just nod. Maria Hill herself didn’t scare me but what did scare me was that she could call any of the Avengers to come kick my ass.

“I trust Director Coulson to run SHIELD. If he believes in you, then I have to believe he sees something in you. Don’t play him, Ward. You do that and you won’t live long. You hear me?” Fury pulls down his glasses to look me in the eye.

I don’t flinch at his eye. I nod once more. “Sir.”

“I’ll be back for you in a couple of hours. We’re going to another base. It’s called the Playground. We’ll arrange something for you there.” Coulson and Fury stand and walk out.

I lay down and try to sleep. I can’t think about Fitzsimmons now.

Eventually I drifted because the next think I know, Coulson is standing over me with Eric Koenig.

I smile. Another friendly face. “Eric, sorry about the icer.”

Coulson smiles. “Grant, this is Billy. Eric’s brother.”

Brother? They look exactly the same.

“Nice to meet you, Agent Ward. I’m excited to know you’re back on out team. Eric told me all about you.” Billy shakes my hand.

I shake back and try to smile. Woah, weird. Their voice is exactly the same too.

They both walk me through the playground. The rest of the team is settling into their new sleeping quarters.

Coulson apologizes and leads me down some stairs into an empty room. “I’m afraid we’re going to keep you here. It’s like cell without actually being a cell. It has to look like we’re holding you prisoner, after all.”

I nod, understanding. I step into the back part of the room and notice there’s a crevice separating the room. Coulson pushes a button and a wall comes up. It’s not an actual wall. It’s white so I can’t see them or hear them. In a second, it’s clear and then off.

“When there’s personnel here, that wall will be on.”

“Alright.”

“I’ve thought about it and I have some conditions.” Coulson takes a seat, so I sit on the bed.

“I’m all ears.”

“First, you see a psychologist on a weekly basis and—”

“No.” I interrupt shaking my head. I hate shrinks.

“It’s not a request, Agent Ward. This is mandatory. We need to know the full extent of Garrett’s actions with you to—”

“Do you think I was brainwashed?” I’m angry. I can’t believe they think I’m that weak. “I am not brainwashed. Everything I did, I did because I owed Garrett my life. I made fucked up but I made them those decisions. Me.”

“Agent Ward, we are not debating this. If you refuse, then you lose the right to be an Agent and you become nothing but a prisoner. Do I make myself clear?” Coulson had stood and was now standing a foot from me, shaking with anger.

I bite into my tongue. “Fine.”

“I will work it out for you to break out soon and you can go undercover with Hydra. But before we can get to that, you need to tell me anything you can about their protocols, safe houses, missions and plans.” Coulson is going on about Hydra and I think of something.

It’ll hurt to go through but it’s the only chance I can get to see her regularly.

“Sir,” I interrupt Coulson, “can I ask that my liaison be Skye.”

Coulson looks like he’s fighting his anger. He’s trying to protect her from me. Just because he trusts me doesn’t mean he trusts me with her.

“No.” His voice is clipped.

“Sir,” I’m gonna need to persuade him, “if they know I’m giving you information, they need to know why I’m doing it. I want to see her. The Grant Ward they know would want to see her too. Even she will believe that I’m giving things up for her.”

“She hates you.” Coulson reminds me.

“I haven’t forgotten. I will give you everything you want. Talk to the shrink as much as you want but I want to see her. I know she hates me but it’ll be my only chance to see her. It doesn’t always need to be her. You can decide, after things have calmed, to let her come see me. And you could only send her once a week if it makes you feel better. But Sir—Director—I came to you to start with because of her.”

Coulson thought about it for a long while. Before he answers me though, he turns to Billy, who I’d forgotten was there.

“Billy? What do you think?”

“Me, Sir?”

“You’re an outside party. You have the advantage of not being too close to the situation. Maybe your answer can help me decide.” Coulson explained.

I look to Billy. He’s about to change my future for better or worse.

Billy looks back at me and after a minute or so, says, “Once a week or so wouldn’t be bad. Eric told me how Agent Ward feels about Skye. He gave up a lot to do what he did. He’s putting his life on the line and helping us bring Hydra down. If he’s going to be a prisoner, we should give him something to look forward to. People can go crazy with no human interaction…or hope.”

The Koenig’s are my new best friends.

Coulson is looking at Billy, so I take the opportunity to mouth a “Thank you” to him.

“Fine.” Coulson looks back at me. “I say when and how many times. And you’ll see the psychologyist twice a week to start.”

I take a deep breath. I’m an agent of SHIELD. I’m free of John Garrett. And I will see Skye soon.


	5. Chapter 5: The Prisoner

I’m having trouble sleeping. Although I wanted John dead, I can’t get used to him actually being gone. I don’t think I ever really thought I’d lose him. He was a psychopath and a murderer but he had taken me out of hell and given me a life. He’d saved me and, in the end, I’d helped take him down.

Coulson—Director Coulson knew I was going insane down in this “cell”. He’d taken down the laser wall and I was free to roam the bigger room. Not that it helped, there was still nothing to do. He’d also installed a tiny button to deactivate and activate the laser wall. The button was by my bed. I was to turn it off when the buzzer (also located near my bed) went off to let me know that someone was coming down to see me. The laser wall had to be up if anyone came in. If the laser wall was up the buzzer would automatically turn off.

I was grateful to Director Coulson for that. It gave me the illusion of freedom. He came down every couple of days and brought me a book to pass the time. He kept his word and not even a week into my “capture”, he came down with a man I had never met.

“Grant, this is Dr. Andrew Garner. He’s the guy you’ll be seeing.” Coulson pointed at the man and I could see a ghost of a smile on Coulson’s face.

I eyed him suspiciously as the man, Andrew, sized me up.

“Him.” Andrew questioned Coulson. “This guy?” Andrew looked like he was confused. 

I frowned. What’s going on?

Coulson is no longer hiding his smile and simply nods.

Andrew shakes his head. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Clearly, Andrew did not want to be around me. This wasn’t going to work. And what the hell was he referring to? “Can I know what the hell is going on?” My voice showed my impatience.

Dr. Garner finally looked me in the eye. “You slept with Melinda?” He asked.

Woah. Who the hell is this guy? I look at Dr. Garner again and try to think of who he might be. 

“Ok. Then.” Dr. Garner stepped forward, grabbing the only chair in the room and placed it near my bed. “I’m gonna need you to sit if we’re gonna talk.”

“To be fair, I’m pretty sure it meant nothing to either of them, Andrew.” Coulson was still amused. “Agent Ward, please forgive me. Dr Garner is the best I know. I value his opinion and I think he’s the best at what he does. I really think he can help you.” Coulson slapped and held my shoulder. He looked genuine. Then, Coulson turned to the Dr., “Take it easy on him please. I know this situation is difficult and shouldn’t even be taking place but I need you on this, Andrew.”

I realized all at once why I should know who this man was. I’d read his name on a file a before I joined Coulson’s team. I read it in the file of one Agent Melinda May, back when I was studying who’d I’d be dealing with on this bus. This was Melinda May’s ex-husband, the shrink.

Damn it, Coulson. This is who you bring me.

I look at Coulson, baffled. He gives me a sympathetic smile and walks away.

I turn to go sit next to the Dr. on my bed. He looks like he’s gathered himself. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes, “I shouldn’t have brought it up.” He sizing me up.

I try not to give anything away. If I would have been married, would I like to work with the guy that had been sleeping with my ex-wife? May was a good person and my teammate, I’d used her in more ways than one. 

“I understand.” I finally answer.

Dr. Garner nods. “I’m here to help you, Agent Ward—”

“Grant.” I lean back on the wall and accept that this is going to happen. I’d made my peace with seeing a shrink.

“Grant.” Dr Garner nods, “call me Andrew,” and begins to tell me how he’s here for me and wants to know about my childhood. I hesitate for a minute but tell him about my childhood in a very matter of fact manner. I stay as detached as I can, answering questions about my brothers and parents when Andrew asks.

We talk for what feels like a long time. I know sessions like this usually take an hour but I know we’ve gone past that. So, I dare and ask Andrew how long he’ll be here for.

He chuckles and tells me not to worry about it. When we get to the part of me ending up in Juvenile Hall, he stops me and says he’ll be back in a couple of days to talk to me about what happened after that.

Andrew starts collecting his things and stands. “I’ll be giving status reports to Phil and a summary of how I think the session went. Whatever is said in this room, stays in this room, Grant. I’ve made sure that Phil’s cut all the audio from this room. Just because you’re a so-called prisoner, it doesn’t mean you can be monitored like one. Do you want a copy of my reports?”

I’m surprised by his statements. I knew Coulson would be getting reports of how I was doing but I never expected those reports would be available to me. “As long as those reports won’t be seen by anybody else, I don’t think I want to see what’s in them.” I finally answer truthfully.

Andrew chuckles. He’s not my doctor at this moment. “All my reports will be hard copies. Nothing goes on the computer. And I’ll make sure they’re available to you should you ever want to glance at them.” He puts his hands out for a handshake.

I shake his hand.

“It was nice meeting you, Grant.” Andrew looks me in the eyes as he talks to me. He looks honest and with one last smile, he leaves.

When Andrew comes back a couple of days later, he starts asking me about Garrett. I’m as honest as I can be and tell him about my days with him. He asks me about my days left alone in the wilderness. He asks me about Buddy. He asks about my first kill and every single one I can remember after that one. His questions start a downward spiral for me. More so when he tells me that I’ve been manipulated and brain washed to a degree. I think back at everything John Garrett made me do and I start asking the doctor questions. He tries to pull me back but I’ve gone into a deep, dark hole in my head and I can’t get out. 

It takes him a while to bring me out of it. I recall not being in my room. I remember a lot of white. I remember restraints and I remember a lot of blurriness. Sometime later, it would have been days or weeks, I don’t know, I’m back in my room. I feel better but I can’t help but look at my scars. I’ve got one on the inside of each wrist and one on my forehead. My clothes are taken and I’ve been given new ones.

Everything in the room that I can use to hurt myself has been taken away.

I don’t get a whole lot of visits. There’s Coulson, a British mercenary that I thought was an agent, who gets information from me about Hydra when Coulson can’t make it and Andrew. 

The mercenary’s name is Hunter. He strays from Hydra questioning more often than not and I appreciate it. He’s loud, obnoxious and talkative. He’d annoy me if I wasn’t in here but because I am, I actually like him. He’s blunt which is another reason I like him. He doesn’t bullshit, likes to drink (maybe too much), and “hates” his ex-wife who turns out to be a SHIELD Agent by the name of Bobbi Morse. I only met her once but I remember thinking she was hot. I never had the chance to sleep with her. Thank God. Hunter talks about her endlessly and once, I call him on it. I tell him it sounds more like love than hate. He gets irritated, cusses at me and takes off. He comes back the next day like nothing happened. I like Hunter.

More days pass and I try to keep myself occupied. I try to read but even if the book is interesting, my body feels like it’s crawling. I want out of this room. It’s driving me insane. 

I even ask Andrew to come by more often because I crave human interaction. He comes as much as he can or so he says. Sometime we talk, other times we play games. It’s not until after he’s gone and I go through my day that I realize that he’s been getting to know me though those games. It’s easier to talk to him now but I don’t think he’s getting anything out of me besides more Hydra info. He stopped asking me about Garrett.

Coulson uses all the intel I have on Hydra to place two people undercover. I don’t think to ask who until after a couple of days and he’s there to tell me himself.

“Simmons?!” I can’t believe it. “Sir, are you crazy? You have to get her out. Now. She cannot possibly stay there. She can’t lie to save her life. She—”

“I’m aware of what Agent Simmons can and cannot do, Agent Ward. But she’s the only one I trust to go undercover and get the information we need from Hydra. She’s capable. Agent May worked with her before going undercover and I placed someone there for back up in case she gets caught. I got this, Ward.” Coulson assures me.

“But, Sir—”

“I know.” He gives me a look of understanding. “I wish it didn’t have to be her. But I was out of options and she agreed. I couldn’t very well send Fitz because—” Coulson stops as he sees me tense.

He’s not getting any better. How badly did I hurt him?

“I’m sorry, Ward. I didn’t mean it like that. I—” I hold my hand up to stop Coulson from speaking. I nod at him and he continues, “I’ve taken precautions. She won’t be alone.”

I sit on my bed, trying to focus on what I can do and not what I’ve done. Andrew has been working with me on setting goals and looking forward. Any time I think on what I could have done differently or the pain I have caused, I get depressed and suicidal. We’re trying to move on from that. I can’t atone for my sins if I’m dead. I’ve had dark days in here. Days I don’t want to relive but I’ve gotten passed that.

I focus on Coulson’s plans for a new mission. He’s sending Hunter, a man named Idaho and Agent Hartley to get intel on an 084. Skye, May and Trip will provide backup. I tell him I trust Hunter but I don’t think he cares much about that tidbit. I think Hunter annoys him as much as he annoys me but I tend to find him hilarious.

I’m going crazy and ask Andrew when I can see Skye because that was one of my conditions. I wanted to see her and give her Hydra info. Coulson had agreed in the beginning but said he wanted Andrew to clear me. 

Andrew and Coulson surprise me when they say I can see her tomorrow, although Coulson did warn me that Skye was still very pissed and pretty much hated my guts.

Andrew looked upset when Coulson said that to me and told him, “that isn’t helping.”

“I didn’t care.” I said, “I just want to see her.” I knew she’d hate me but it’d been too long. I hadn’t seen her smile, heard her laugh, looked into her eyes in 105 days. 

“I promise to send her down tomorrow.” Coulson gave me a sad smile. “Ward, I want you to know that Skye isn’t Skye anymore.” He hesitates because I’m confused. “She’s changed. I think as May as her SO, she’s closed herself off from certain things. Granted I’m not always around but she doesn’t joke like she used to, doesn’t laugh like she used to.” He knew I loved her. After all this time, all the information I’ve given him and all of Andrew’s reports, it was something he couldn’t ignore or deny.

I nod sadly. Yet one more thing I can blame myself for. But I try to stay positive, he said I could see her.

I smiled a genuine smile in I don’t know how long.

“Grant, are you sure—"

“I’m sure Coulson.” I interrupted before he could ask me again. “It’s harder not seeing her. I know she hates me. I know she’s angry but I’d rather see that in her eyes than not.”

“I don’t think it’ll do more harm than what he’s already been through, Phil.” Andrew agreed with me, as he got up to leave.

I gave him a thankful nod. We were friends now, Andrew and me.

“Ok, then. Get some rest. I’ll make sure she’s here tomorrow.” With that, Coulson and Andrew both leave me. “Oh, and for future reference, any time you’re meeting with Skye, I’ll activate the microphones in the room.” Coulson pointed at the cameras. He shrugs, “May might want to listen in.”

I take a deep breath. I’m going to see Skye tomorrow.

And all of a sudden, my heart rate elevates, I panic and I can’t breathe. 

Can I see her? Yes. I can see her. I can face what I’ve done. I will work with her and show her I can move on from what I’ve done. She’ll come to trust me again. I can make sure of that. She forgives. But can she forgive me?

I pass the day with workouts and take a shower. I turn in early, knowing I won’t get much sleep. It takes me a while to knock out but when I do, all I see it Skye. 

When I awake, I feel calm. I read to pass the time but Skye doesn’t come down. Hunter doesn’t come down. Andrew doesn’t come down. Coulson doesn’t either and now I’m freaking out. Did something happen? Did they lie to me? Half the day is gone and Skye hasn’t come down.

I calm myself and try to meditate. It’s not long before the buzzer over my bed goes off. I dash over to hit the button that turns on the laser wall.

I take a breath and walk to the middle of the room. The spotlight hits me in the face and it momentarily blinds me.

When my eyes adjust they focus on her. My breath catches. It’s Skye. She looks gorgeous. She’s changed her hair. She wears it down. She’s sporting bangs and a fierce look. She’s never looked more beautiful.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” I smile a little because I can’t help it.

She says nothing but moves to the chair and sits. I wait for her to get adjusted to being in the same room as me. I can see how mad and upset she is.

I take a couple of breaths to calm myself all the while thanking Coulson for keeping his promise.

“I told Coulson weeks ago that I was willing to speak to you—to give you intelligence. Why now?” I remember the mission. “Did something bad happen?”

“Carl Creel.” Skye tells me the name and it sounds familiar. “Garrett reported him dead. Turns out he’s alive. Do you have any information on that?” Her voice is cold.

I can’t contain the words that flow out of my mouth. “How have you been?”

She grabs the tablet and she stands to walk away. She wants nothing to do with me.

“The name sounds familiar.” I answer honestly and she stops. “Do you have a picture?”

Skye turns slightly to me, take a deep breath and pulls something up on the tablet. She comes forward to show me.

I watch her and don’t look at the tablet as I approach slowly. I want to tell her that I mean her no harm and finally look away when she takes a deep breath. I look at the tablet and get close. The laser wall turns bright red. I pull back and Skye takes the chance to look me over.

Her eyes freeze at what she sees. I follow her stare and look down. She’s looking at my scars. The neck tenses. My dark days. “Coulson didn’t tell you?” Thank you, Phil. Thank you for not telling her how much of a coward I turned out to be.

Skye swallows but doesn’t say anything.

“I went through a rough stretch.” I try to explain as she looks at my other wrist. “First pair of pants they gave me had a button on the back. They took that away. But you fold a piece of paper just right, it gets sharp.” I’m rambling, I know but I can’t seem to stop, “When they took that away, I started running at the walls.” I show her the small scar on my forehead. 

She blinks a couple of times, thinking of what to say but that coldness hasn’t left her eyes. “You should have run faster.”

“I’m through all that. When I came out of the sedation, I was clear headed, accepting of who I am and what I’ve done and why.” I look at her from head to toe. Coulson wasn’t lying. She’s been training with May. “Your arms tell a different story. I see May’s training you.” I look at her arms closer. “She’s got you favoring your left side first cause you’re right handed. Smart.”

“I’m gonna say this once.” She interrupts me. “I’m not gonna believe a word that comes out of your mouth. But if a single word is about anything other than the question that I’m asking, I walk.”

I figured as much. I put my hands up in defeat and take a step back. “Ok.” I take another step back and her body relaxes. I try not to show how sad that makes me. “Creel was a boxer, nicknamed The Crusher. Turns out any opponent has a glass jaw when you have steel fists under your gloves. Garrett thought he’d be an asset. Now, once Creel touches a substance, he can absorb it and somehow consciously transform the molecules of his body into that substance. He wouldn’t tell us how but he enjoys the way it feels…almost as much as he enjoys killing.”

“You two must have gotten along great.” I can see the old Skye coming through and if she wasn’t saying it to hurt me, I’d be smiling. “Well, this was fun but pointless. We’ve already figured that stuff out. So, if you don’t know where to find him, then—”

“Wait.” I can’t let her leave. Not yet. This wasn’t enough time.

Again, she stops and waits.

“When Hydra was communicating with SHIELD, we’d use white noise in the gaps between SHIELD’s quantum key distribution channels to hide messages. Now, SHIELD might be gone, but not those frequencies. If Hydra is giving commands to Creel, that’ll be how.”

Skye hasn’t fully turned to look at me. “We’ll see.”

“It’s true and so will be every word I say to you for the rest of my life.” I call out to her as she walks away.” I’m encouraged when she stops walking. “I’m not asking for forgiveness.” 

I walk forward as she looks back at me. 

“I just want to help you. And when that information proves true, I hope you’ll come back. There’s so much I want to tell you about—” The wall between us turns to white. I can no longer see her. I pushed her too far. But I let out a sigh and finish to myself, “your father.”

I sit back on my bed and try to breathe evenly.

Skye hated me, that was for sure. I’d caught something behind her eyes. Not pity. She was still hurt at the betrayal. I’d deal with that. I’d deal with the hate too. It didn’t matter. I want to see her and this is how to do it.

This is paying for my mistakes. I will work with Coulson and SHIELD till my dying breath. I hope that one day Skye and the rest of my team can forgive me. And I swear I’ll do everything in my power to help Fitz.

I hang my head. I feel exhausted. I hadn’t spent a lot of time with Skye but I felt the exhaustion and the drain it had taken on my body and mind. I laid down and I cross my arms under my head.

I close my eyes and think of the way Skye looked. She wasn’t that much different from when I’d seen her last, appearance wise. But everything else in her had changed. She was more serious. She carried herself differently. She was sure of herself. She was stronger. She didn’t look like she was trusting or carefree. My heart broke. My once trusting, beautiful and witty Skye was no longer there. She had hidden away from the world because of me. Although I do have to admit that fierce, angry Skye was also a turn on. My girl had turned into a woman and I can’t place which side of her I’m attracted to more.

For some reason my thoughts turn to Garrett. It was easy to blame him in the beginning but I know everything was on me. Andrew has told me time and time again that it wasn’t all me, that my choices were limited because I didn’t fully understand what I was doing. He told me my mind wasn’t 100% my own. Garrett was imbedded deep in every choice, every decision, every action. Maybe Andrew’s right. I acknowledge now that there might have been some brain washing but I should have been stronger or gotten out from under Garrett sooner. 

I fall asleep and am woken up by Coulson.

“Director.” I sit up slowly.

Coulson smiles down on me. “Thanks for the information on Creel. He escaped with the 084 but now we know another way to intercept communications between Hydra and their agents. We also, got our hands on a quinjet.”

I’m surprised. “Why would you need a quinjet?”

Coulson gives me a tight smile. He’s thinking about how to answer. I lean back against the wall and wait.

“Fitz has gotten worse since Simmons left. He says he’s close to fixing the cloaking but I don’t think he can. We have to accept that he’s different. It’s not your fault, Ward. Whatever happened to them down there was not your fault.”

I steel myself to the news about Fitz. I can’t change it. I have to change what I can and look forward. I can’t change the past. I have to move forward.

“Skye’s shaken up about earlier. Coming to see you really affected her. She hasn’t said anything about it but I don’t expect her to. She’s taken over May’s attitude towards most things. She keeps things to herself now. It’s going to take her time, Ward. To tell you the truth, I’m scared of the day she finds out what we’re doing here.” Coulson admits and Ward snaps his head to look him in the eye. “You think she’s mad now?” Coulson shakes his head.

“Sir, I want to tell them. You know I want them all to know but you’ve said so yourself that I must maintain my status as a Hydra agent. Nobody on the team can know that I’ve double crossed Hydra. They have to all still think I’m a bad guy. Maybe Agent May can keep the secret but the more people know the more the truth tends to get out. You were right. We need to keep it quiet.”

“I know we’re doing the right thing but that won’t be what she sees. We lied to her. You lied to her. Now I’m lying to her. She’ll be pissed. She’ll be heartbroken. She’ll forgive me just like she’ll forgive you. That’s who Skye is but she’ll suffer before she gets there.”

I can’t argue with that.

Hunter comes to see me after Coulson leaves and tells me that Coulson offered him a spot on the team and he’ll be staying.

“That’s great. He’s a good man. And he needs assets.”

“He said you vouched for me. You, Hartley and someone else. Thanks for that, mate.” Hunter is sitting in the chair with his legs propped up where the tablet sits. “I just gotta figure out a way to get the rest of them off my back. I hear Agent May can hold a grudge.”

I chuckle. “What’d you do?”

“I shot her with an icer, trying to get to Creel.” He admits and I laugh.

“You’re gonna end up paying for that one.” I laugh harder when he actually winces. But I stop almost at once, “you said ‘them’?”

He nods. “Yea. Well, you see in order to get to Creel I also had to shoot Agent Tripplet and Skye.”

“You shot Skye?” And I can’t get the angry, threat in my voice as I climb out of bed and grab him by his jacket. I yank him up.

“Woah. Calm down, mate. It was just an icer. She’s ok.” Hunter throws his hands up to try to calm me. He doesn’t try to fight the way I’m tugging at him.

I know Skye is safe. The rational part of me understands that it was just an icer and nothing really happened to her. But I can’t help it. My mind goes to the last time she was shot.

“Don’t. Shoot. Her Again.” I say through clenched teeth.

“Alright, mate. Jeez, you’re taking it harder than she did. I’ve apologized to her. She’s always moved on. Are you ok?” He asks me. He looks concerned because my hands are shaking as I let him go and step back.

“I’m fine.”

He looks at me for a while. He’s quietly watching me as I calm myself.

She’s fine. It was just an icer.

“How long have you been in love with her?” He asks as he sits back on the chair. “Is that why you’re in here? Did she get you caught?” Hunter narrows his eyes and studies me. “You turned yourself in? Does she know?”

I shake my head. “They all still think I’m Hydra.”

“It makes sense now. I didn’t know why you were being kept in here. It’s always because of a woman. At least she was worth it. Skye’s a good one. She’s got a rockin—” Hunter stops and swallows at the look I give him. Again, he throws up his hands. “She’s off limits, mate. I get it. Besides, I don’t usually go after my mates’ girl, if you know what I mean.”


	6. Chapter 6:  Making Friends

“Well, they’re not exactly what you’d call welcoming.” I say to Skye. She’s sitting, watching me carefully. She’s trying not to give me any indication of what she’s thinking, so I continue. “They don’t give you a choice.”

“So, what do they give you?” She challenges. “Money? Threats? Torture? Combo platter?”

“They’re good at convincing people.” I lean against the wall.

“Yes, well they suckered you in.” 

“No.” I shake my head. “I was never loyal to Hydra. I was loyal to Garrett.”

“Oh. Garrett is the reason you’re a cold-blooded killer.”

“I don’t blame him for the choices that I’ve made.” I look at her evenly because I want her to understand.

“Right. I seem to remember you blaming your brother. Or was it your parents? Man, I can’t keep up.” Her words make me angry.

“My family tore me down. Garrett built me back up…the way he wanted.”

“We’re all aware who your family is, Ward. Not only are they respected. They’re pretty much loved.” She’s doubting everything I’ve ever said to her. She thinks I lied about everything.

“Well, every family has its secrets.” And because I’m angry I push. “Yours does too. You ever wonder why—”

She interrupts me and clears her throat, “You know what? My bad. I slipped. Talked to you like a normal person. Let’s stay on task.” She’s done talking to me about anything other than her original reason of coming in here.

“You make the rules.” I take a couple of steps back to retreat. I don’t even know when I’d moved towards her. “Hydra’s protocol on gifteds is pretty straight forward. An acquisition team is sent out to convince or capture the gifted. If those two options aren’t possible then they’ll take them out.”

“Even if the gifted doesn’t pose a threat?” She asked not believing it.

“A gifted that refuses Hydra is a threat.” I explain. “And threats are taken care of quickly.”

Skye’s disgusted. “That’s the difference between SHIELD and Hydra.”

“And that’s why Hydra will win.” I try not to think like that. I don’t want them to win but it’s so much easier to win when you don’t have a conscious. “Because while a SHIELD agent is considering right and wrong, Hydra’s already taken the shot.”

Skye’s quiet. She knows I’m right and just like me, hates to admit it.

While Skye doesn’t ask me any more questions, it takes her a couple of minutes to leave. I simply watch her. I don’t want to push her away like last time.

I’m reading a book not long after Skye has left and hear my buzzer go off. I frown and push the laser wall on.

Strange. Nobody should be coming down today. Did something happen?

I stand and walk towards the wall. It goes from white to see though in a second and I’m shocked to find Fitz on the other side of the wall.

Very slowly Fitz takes a couple of steps back. He’s in shock too. From the look on his face, he didn’t know I was down here. I don’t know what to say. He’s frightened and it makes me feel horrible.

When he doesn’t say a word, I take a deep breath. “I imagine you’ve got a lot to say to me.”

I shouldn’t have spoken. Fitz is visibly shaking and gasping for breath. He leans forward and places his hands on his knees. He’s trying to calm his breathing. After some moments, he stands and starts to shake off his hands.

I try again, “Look, despite all of this…it’s really good to see you.” I try to give him a smile as he sits in the chair and covers his eyes with his hands. “Fitz? Fitz, are you al—”

“Stop.” He interrupts me. “Stop talking.” His voice is really shaky. I can tell he’s scared and sill freaking out because his voice breaks. “Stop.”

I move away from him carefully because I think he may be crying. He shouldn’t be here. He finally sits up and to my horror, he is crying.

I’ve never felt this horrible in my life. I’ve broken him. He was my best friend and I broke him. I taste bile in my mouth. I’m gonna be sick. I sit in my bed and give both of us a couple of minutes.

“I didn’t want to hurt you. I tried to avoid it.” I finally say. Maybe Fitz can be our exception. Maybe he can know my secret. He deserves to know after what I’ve done.

“You tried to kill us.” Fitz is still not looking at me.

“No.” I correct standing up because I need him to believe me. “I wanted to save you. Garrett ordered me to kill you and Simmons. He expected me to put a bullet in your head. But I couldn’t. I gave you a fighting chance to find a way out, like you always do.” As I explain myself, Fitz finally looks me in the eye. “Like you did.”

“Save me?” He asks and I nod. “Do—do you—do you—do you know what the, um…” he’s having problems talking and it’s hard to witness, “what you—ok.” He starts playing with the tablet. “I—you know, I have trouble with words, so um…it’s probably best I show you.”

I have no idea what he’s talking about. “Show me what?”

“Hypoxia. Found that one. That’s what you did to me.” He pushes something on the tablet and I feel it immediately. 

The air is getting thin. “Fitz? What are you doing?” I’m trying to catch my breath.

“I’m showing you…” he shows me the tablet and what he’s done, “what it’s like when you’re deprived…of, uh…” as he tries to find the words to use, I’m trying to grasp for air.

What is he doing? He hates me this much? He’s going to kill me.

“The oxygen—b—the brain cells, they—they re—they react first. They die. Three minutes, damage is permanent.”

I knew all this. “Where’s Skye?” She’s my lifeline.

“Gone. They’re all gone. After Donnie. And I should be there with them. But I can’t be because of you, because of what you did to me! I’m damaged!”

Holy shit! “Donnie—Donnie—Donnie Gill.” I’m trying to fill my lungs but it’s not working. “That’s—what’s why Skye was—”

“No! I’m not—I—I don’t—I don’t, uh—I don’t answer, uh—”

“Fitz.” I interrupt. “Listen to me. Listen. You—they don’t know what they’re walking into.”

“What—what are—what are you telling—what do you mean?”

I try to get this out because I’m almost out of oxygen. I look Fitz in the eye and try to will him to believe me. “Fitz—Hydra they brainwashed him. Donnie can’t—he can’t be around them. He’ll kill the team. Help them, Fitz.”

I must have convinced him. He pushed the button on the tablet and oxygen started filling the room. Oh, thank God. “Fitz, you need to call Coulson. You need to let him know that Donnie didn’t escape the sandbox. He took it from SHIELD for Hydra. If he got away from them, they can re trigger his programming. Go Fitz. Now.”

He nods once and runs out of the room.

I try to relax now. I do my breathing mantra and calm myself. Damn, Fitz nearly killed me but I don’t blame him. I understand his pain, his anger.

I hope the team’s ok. I hope they beat Hydra there and if they didn’t, I hope they all make it out ok. Donnie Gill is not someone I want my team around.

My buzzer goes off again. It’s been about an hour since Fitz left. I frown, Coulson can’t already be back. So, I get off the bed and try to see who’s coming. It’s Fitz again.

I stay quiet this time. I don’t know what to say.

“We—we called—we called—the—the bus. We—we warned them.”

I breathe easier with the news. I nod a thank you to him but stay quiet.

“You—you’re helping us?” He asks confused and takes the chair again.

“Yes.”

“Why? Be—because you—you’re in here?”

I shake my head. “No, because I want to make up for what I did. What I did to all of you. I’m sorry, Fitz. I really am. At the time, I thought I was saving you. That module was supposed to float. I screwed up but I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t kill you or Simmons. I always gave you a hard time but I always looked at you like a little brother. You were my best friend. I realized too late what I’d done to all of you but I did turn my back on Garrett. I came clean to Coulson. I told him all about Hydra and what I’d done for Garrett. He—Garrett, wanted me to bring Skye to him. He was going to kill her, Fitz. So, I told Coulson everything because I couldn’t hand her over.”

“But—but you um…you took her anyway.”

I shake my head. “I did everything I could not to but, in the end, yes I took her. But I had Coulson and Koenig help get her back.”

Fitz is breathing hard again and shaking. He’s not saying anything. He looks like he’s having a panic attack and I can tell he doesn’t know if I’m telling the truth.

“Fitz, I’m not lying. Look, I’m gonna do something. I’m going to prove that I’m working with Coulson. He trusts me. I shouldn’t be telling you any of this and I’m sure Coulson is going to chew me out but you deserve to know after what I did to you.” 

Fitz gets off the chair and takes a couple of steps back.

“Fitz?” I need to know he won’t flip out.

After about a minute, he finally nods. “Pro—prove it.”

I walk to the bed and reach for the button to turn the wall off. Before I push it, I turn back to Fitz, “Don’t freak out. I promise I won’t hurt you. I won’t hurt you.” Slowly, I push the button and the laser wall is turned off.

Fitz looks up at the disappearing wall and snaps his head back at me. 

I have my hands up and sit on the bed to show him that I’m not going to go near him. “I usually have this down so I can roam the bigger room. I only get three visitors. Skye only just started coming down. She’d make four and I’m hoping you’ll make five.”

Fitz is trying to say something. He’s squeezing his eyes shut and pressing the inside of his palm to his forehead. “How—how long—have—have you—been with us?”

“In the room or on your side?” I’m happy he’s not freaking out or running out of the room.

Fitz points down at his feet, trying to tell me he means the room.

“I told Coulson about double crossing SHIELD for Garrett back when we were in Providence. That’s how long I’ve been back on your side. I’ve been in this room since Garrett died. Coulson comes regularly to get Hydra intel and to make sure I’m ok. Hunter comes when Coulson is not available. I have a shrink I see a couple times a week. Skye only just started to come down but nobody knows that I turned my back on Garrett. You can’t tell anyone Fitz. Coulson, the Koenig brothers and Hunter are the only ones who know besides you.” I dodn’t know whether the team knows about Fury being alive so I leave him out.

Fitz is tapping his foot and pinching the bridge of his nose. His eyes are shut tight. He’s thinking about everything I’ve just told him.

“Why? Why keep…this um…from us?” Fitz finally asks and to my surprise sits back on the chair.

“Hydra has to think that I’m still on their side. I don’t know when but Coulson is planning on letting me escape. Once out, I’m going to infiltrate Hydra for SHIELD and put an end to them once and for all. I helped build them up to what they are now. So, I have to help bring an end to them.” Fitz is still confused. “The more people know, the easier the secret is out. If all of you still hate me, then Hydra will still think I’m on their side. Not all of you can keep a secret. Agent May and even Trip would know how to keep it secret but Skye is barely a spy and you and Simmons can’t tell a lie to save your life.”

Fitz’s eyes turn down. His eye fill up with tears and I know he’s thinking about Simmons.

“Coulson told me about Simmons.”

“She didn’t leave.” Fitz defends her.

I nod. “I know. I know she didn’t leave. Simmons isn’t like that. She’s on a mission.” I don’t know how much he knows about that either.

Fitz nods. “He won’t tell me where she is.” He looks up at me. “Can—can you tell me?”

I shake my head. “She’s safe, Fitz. Coulson didn’t send her alone. I don’t know who she’s with but he said she was safe.”

He’s pressing his palm to his head now. “I..I’m gonna go. I have a head—” he snaps his fingers, “headache.” He slowly stands to leave.

I jump up with him.

“I—I don’t know...uh, I don’t know—how to feel about—you.” Fitz is no longer looking at me. He’s looking to something on his side.

I don’t know what he’s looking at but after a minute he says, “Right, well I guess we can trust you.”

“Fitz, will you come down and see me again?” I hope when I ask. He has no reason to trust me. No reason to forgive me but I hope he can. “I’d like to talk to you some more. Maybe I can answer some questions or we can catch up.”

Fitz was looking to the side again but he was nodding. “Yea, no…um, I’ll see. Bye Ward.” He walked away and I don’t stop him.

I lay in bed for hours after, just thinking about Fitz and if everybody made it back safe. The last time I knew about Donnie Gill, Hydra had done a number on him. 

I was just falling asleep when my buzzer went off again. I was really getting tired of hitting the laser wall button. I sighed, hit the button and got up to see who it was this time. I was expecting it to be Coulson. No doubt he was going to come down and yell at me for including Fitz in our little secret.

I was surprised when I saw it was Skye. Thank God she’s safe.

“Relieved it’s not Fitz?” She asks and she’s got that ‘I-don’t-give-a-fuck-about-you-attitude’ again. I hold back my smile because it will only piss her off.

“Happy it’s you, that you’re ok.” I admit. “I’m, uh glad I could help.” I take a seat to make her feel comfortable. She breathes better when I’m farther away and seated.

Just as I suspected, she takes a deep breath and takes one step closer to me. “You said Hydra had a way of convincing people. You were talking about brainwashing, weren’t you?”

“It’s not done often but it’s done.” She frowns so I continue. “It’s a lot of work and some people are susceptible. It’s mostly used on high-value targets,” I explain.

“Like you?” She’s still angry but I see something flicker in her eyes. She wasn’t me to answer yes.

I want to tell her that I was but I’m still stupid enough that I want to cover up what happened. I don’t know if it’s because I still don’t believe it, because I don’t want pity or because in some twisted way I still see as Garett as my savior. So, I say, “I wish I could say that’s what happened. But I swore I’d never lie to you.” And I’m not. I’m omitting that I was partly brainwashed.

She gives a slow, reluctant nod. The emotions that go through her face are quick but I see acceptance, anger and betrayal. Those are the ones I’m familiar with.

“No. I wasn’t brainwashed.” For some reason I feel like she’d see me as broken and I can take a lot but I don’t want to see pity in her eyes towards me. “Everything I did, good and bad…I did of my own free will.” Like going to Coulson.

She swallows and I realize she blinks away tears. That’s not what she wanted to hear.

“Do you believe I’m telling you the truth?” I search her eyes.

She nods again, sadly. “I just don’t know why. I don’t know what you hope to achieve by—”

“I don’t hope for me. I hope for you.” Everything I do is for you, Skye. I want you to believe me when I tell you I’m not Hydra. I want you to believe me with every ounce of your being when I tell you I’m SHIELD. But I can’t tell her that. 

She stands silently. I don’t know why she hasn’t left yet.

I might as well tell her about her dad. “I know something. And I want you to believe me when I say it.” I stand and walk to her. God she’s gorgeous. “Your father is alive. He’s looking for you. And someday, if you let me, I’ll take you to him.”

I promise I’ll take her once I’m out of this so-called cage. Coulson won’t like it but I promised myself to do everything for her. 

She’s blocking emotion from her eyes and face. “We’re done here.”

I watch her walk away from me again. I badly want to turn off this damn laser wall and apologize. She needs to keep hating me but all I want is her forgiveness. Steeling myself like before therapy isn’t an option. I can no longer compartmentalize like I did before.

Andrew has told me time and time again to deal with emotions head on. At first, I thought it was crap but it’s actually helped.

All of a sudden, I’m angry. I’m angry at the situation that I’m in and I know it’s my own fault. But dammit, I’m angry at Coulson too. I know he’s right in this decision but it doesn’t help. I need to hit something.

I hit the laser wall off and go for the tablet. I’ve never used it before but I know there’s a key there that calls someone down here. I push it and go down to my bed.

Hunter comes running in not 5 minutes later.

“Ward. What happened? What’s the emergency?” He’s breathing fast. He might have been on the other end of the facility.

“I need out. I need to go blow off some steam. I want out this room and to hit something.” I say through gritted teeth.

He’s nodding, trying to catch his breath. “Alright, mate. Let me talk to Coulson. I’ll come down in a bit.”

I nod and try to calm down.

Hunter runs back up the stairs.

I don’t know what Hunter said to Coulson but he comes back not 10 minutes later. “Come on, mate. Coulson called a bullshit meeting. You have 30 minutes to do what you need to do in the training room and get back down here before they’re done.”

I sigh in relief and run up the stairs with Hunter behind me. He walks me down the halls and I can’t help but look around. I didn’t get a chance to see all this before. I take into account the ventilation system, all the doors and windows to this place. I don’t know how Coulson expects me to escape later when I don’t even know how to get out.

Hunter, sees me eying the place and points down a corridor. “That there leads to the hanger doors. We have a quinjet and the bus. We’re working on getting a couple more. If you go down that way,” he points down another corridor, “you’ll find a door that leads to an exit. I’m sure when you escape later, you can use either one.” He shrugs at me and puts his hands in his pockets as he leads the way to the training room.

I grin at Hunter. He’s crazy but I do like him.

“Wanna spar?” I ask when I see the mats.

“Uh—no, thanks. I still remember you manhandling me over icing Skye. Besides, I don’t want to have to come up with a lie later about why I look like I got the crap beat out of me.” He points to the end of the room, “there’s the punching bag you asked for, mate.”

I grin as I walk towards it, “I said I wanted to hit something, Hunter. I never said a punching bag.” I tell him over my shoulder and pick up the gloves by the bag.

“Ha ha.” Is all he says and leans against the wall.

He watches me take my frustration and anger out on the bag. 

“See, that’s why I didn’t want to spar. You have an unfair advantage.”

I turn to him dropping my shoulders. “I have an unfair advantage?” I laugh. “I haven’t worked out in months.” I turn back to the bag and give it a couple of punches. “I haven’t spared. I haven’t boxed. I haven’t don’t any conditioning. No running.”

“Yea but you also have months of pent up aggression. Think about it, mate. No matter how much room Coulson gives you down there, you’re still caged. The man you looked up to turned out to be a psychopath. The whole team turns their backs on you—or you turn your backs on them—or, you know what? One of these days you’re gonna have to sit me down and tell me what exactly happened over some drinks. I still don’t know what happened really. Skye is a mini May but I hear she was never like that. Fitz talks to himself and can’t figure which way is up. I’ve never even met Simmons but they all talk about her like she’s some genius. And they—Trip, May, Skye and Coulson always refer to Fitz and Simmons as Fitzsimmons. Like they’re one person. That’s not healthy.” 

I wince and hit the bag harder. All those changes in the group were because of the betrayal.

“Sure. Bring some drinks down one of these days. But for now, can you please shut up? You talk too much.”

Hunter bobs his head. “Ah, was it something I said? You’re hitting that bag mighty hard, Agent Ward.” He notes and walks towards me.

As much as I like him, I’m not against punching him.

I do my best to ignore him and keep hitting the bag. I focus on the anger I felt earlier when I saw Skye go and get rid of it all on the punching bag.

“How far did it go with Skye before she broke your heart?” Hunter asks, narrowing his eyes trying to get a read on me. I roll me eyes. “Or was it the other way around?”

“It didn’t—we never—” I stop talking and keep punching the bag.

“Fine. Over drinks then.” He leaves me alone after that.

I let everything else slip away and when he says I have 10 minutes, I go to the treadmill to get some running. Might as well get my legs stretched out too.

I feel better as we go back to my room. As I enter, Hunter warns me, “The Director will be coming in after he’s done with the meeting. He said something about the meeting you had with Fitz.” Hunter’s look is knowing.

Great. I sigh.

I knew he’d be coming down to yell at me. I lay on my bed and wait for him to arrive. It’s been another long day.

My buzzer goes off 10 minutes later. Laser wall up and I sit up in bed.

“You told Fitz!” Coulson yells angrily.


	7. Chapter 7:  Beers, Christian Ward and Plans

I let Coulson yell for about 10 minutes and notice that he’s finally calming down. I have to make my case soon. He had many valid points. The most obvious one being that we had already discussed time and time again to not tell anyone.

“What were you thinking? Fitz can’t handle this secret. He’s got too much on his plate as is.” Coulson scolded. “So, why did you do it?”

“He deserved to know. Coulson, he tried to kill me for godsake. I would have done the same if the roles were reversed. I’m not mad at him. I’m angry at the whole situation. I’m angry at myself because dammit I caused all of it but I can’t change it. I have to focus on goals, on helping, on getting better. I have to look forward, not backward. This is the only way I can help Fitz. It’s killing him that the person who was supposed to trust to save his life almost killed him.” I let go of everything I’d been punching the bag for earlier. “I was supposed to be the one person they could trust their life with. That’s why you wanted me on the bus to begin with. He trusted me. He trusted me with his life—with Simmons’ life! I was their friend. They trusted me and I stabbed them in the back and in their eyes tried to murder them!” I’m running my hands through my hair.

Coulson is watching me carefully.

I drop my shoulders in defeat. “I can’t tell you much else. I know we agreed. I know I had my orders. But I blindly followed before and look at where it got me. Not I’m not comparing you to Garrett but I made a choice in that moment with Fitz. It was my choice. My decision. When I saw how broken he was because of me, I had to come clean. I can’t have him hate me. Who knows, if I hadn’t told him the truth he could have tried to kill my again.”

I’m getting really frustrated as Coulson isn’t saying anything.

After a moment, Coulson tightly closes his mouth. “Fine. I’ll talk to Fitz in the morning and confirm anything you’ve told him. I’ll answer his questions if he has any. But, Ward?”

“Yes, sir.”

“If he gets worse because of this, I will hold you personally responsible.”

I nod, agreeing. “Yes, sir.”

“I’ll let you have some sleep.” Coulson walks off and climbs the stairs as I throw myself on my bed for what I hope is the last time tonight.

“Oh, and I’m telling May.” Coulson calls down before he exits the room.

Damn. I’m gonna have to deal with May tomorrow.

I didn’t see any of them for a couple days and I assumed another mission came up. So, I spent my days reading and doing pushups.

On the third day, May came in looking like crap. She looked like whoever she fought had put up a hell of a fight.

I gulped. I’m sure her and I were equally matched a couple of months ago but now I was out of shape and there was a reason she was known as the Calvary. So, I stayed put and let her start.

I made sure the laser wall was up. I felt safer on this side of it anyway.

She looked at me for a long time, not saying anything. She looked tired and pissed off.

“I’ve had a long day. I’ve been tied up and has some crazy ass Hydra agent come back to base with my face so I don’t have time for any of your lies.” She threated.

I only nod, still not knowing what to say. What the hell happened today?

“Coulson told me everything. He said you’ve been seeing a therapist, someone he trusts. So, I assume you’ve been seeing Andrew.”

“A couple times a week.” I confirm standing very still.

Her face turns deadlier. “Coulson tends to give people second chances. But I trust him and Andrew. If both are telling me to trust that you’re on our side, I’ll trust that. But if I see you step out of line, I will kill you.” She warned.

“May, believe me, I won’t. There might come a time when it might look like it though. Did Coulson tell you he’s planning on getting me out and letting me return to Hydra?”

She nods.

“I’ll re-join them but I swear I will bring them down. I will maintain my cover with them and I’ll still keep in contact with Coulson. So, don’t shoot me to get even if I’m on the other end of that gun.”

A ghost of a smile appears in her face before she nods.

“I’m going to get some sleep.” She announces as she goes. As she gets to the stairs, she turns around, “What you did was awful and it looks even worse from our perspective. Once she knows the truth, it’ll get ugly but she’ll forgive you. She’s the reason that I believe you too.”

With that, she was gone.

Later, Hunter comes down to see me. He is laughing to himself and a little drunk. As he comes closer, I saw the beers he was holding. I roll my eyes.

“Have time for a beer, mate?”

I turn the wall off and grab a beer from him. “I see you’ve already had a couple.”

He laughs again. “Mate, you should have seen it. I heard Fitz say more tonight than the whole time I’ve known him. Broke my heart with what he started with but he was talking. It was great.”

“Oh, yea? Tell me about it.” I sit down and Hunter tells me about the beers he had with Fitz and the so-called Mack I had yet to meet.

Hunter babbles on and on about Bobbi and I remind him he’s supposed to be telling me about Fitz not Agent Morse, “I’m getting to it.” He looks annoyed and continues talking.

Again, I roll my eyes and he finally gets to Fitz’s comments about Jemma. I feel a pain in my chest. According to Coulson, something happened with Fitzsimmons at the bottom of the ocean which neither talked about but I suspect that in the face of death, Fitz’s might have admitted just how much he loved her and by the sound of his statement to Hunter, Simmons didn’t feel the same.

Shame. I knew Simmons had a crush on me in the beginning but I also knew it had disappeared. She’d looked up to me like an older brother. Whether she knew it or not, I figured the young scientist also felt the same way for Fitz, even if she didn’t realize it.

“Alright, mate. Your turn.”

“My turn?” I ask.

“Yea. You said you’d tell me your story over some beers. Everyone else has gone to sleep. So, tell me about the famous Grant Ward.”

The buzzer went off. We both took our place on either said of the wall and looked to see who was coming. Both of us are surprised to see Fitz coming down the stairs.

I turn the wall off again and rejoin Hunter.

Fitz looks at what they’re doing and grabs a beer.

“What’s going on?” 

Hunter still hasn’t recovered from the shock of Fitz being down here. I smile, thanking whatever God had led Fitz down.

“Ward was just going to tell me about why he’s down here.” Hunter finally answered.

I nod and sit on the floor, with the wall to my back.

“Ok. Let’s hear it.” Fitz takes a seat on my bed and stuffs a pillow under his arm so he’s laying on it instead of actually sitting.

I take a deep breath and start with Garrett leaving me out in the wilderness with Buddy. I tell them I was there for 3 years and Garrett asking me to kill Buddy before heading out to the Academy.

They both look at me shocked, mouths open. I try not to look at them after that. I don’t like seeing pity but I know that if they’re going to trust me, they have to hear this.

I gloss over my years at the Academy and all the people I had to kill. I tell them about joining the team and Garrett dying. I tell them how I started to change. Skye was a big part of that. How I felt responsible for her and Fitzsimmons. I told them about starting to turn on Garrett when he ordered Sky to be shot, and later when he wanted me to bring her in to kill her. They don’t ask questions, even when I get to the part of confronting Coulson with the truth or pretending to killing Koenig. I admit that Coulson has me seeing a therapist.

“That’s pretty much it. Coulson has me down here to make it look like I’m a prisoner. He gets Hydra intel from me but he pretty much knows everything. We can’t tell anyone because soon enough it’s going to look like I’m going to escape and I’m going straight to Hydra. I’m going to prove to them that I’m still team Hydra and I’m going to bring them down from the inside. Nobody can know. The more of you that know, the easier it will be for the secret to be out. So, Coulson and I decided not to tell the rest of the team about any of it. Hunter came first, after Andrew and Coulson. You know now, Fitz and Coulson just told May. That’s it. Nobody else.”

“But she hates you.” Fitz blurts out.

I know he’s talking about Skye and I nod slowly. “She can’t stand the sight of me.”

“Surely you can tell her.” Fitz looks baffled.

“No, Fitz. She has reason to hate me. And she should. Her hate is evident in everything she does and it needs to stay that way. Hydra has to think that you’re all against me. They have eyes and ears everywhere. I shouldn’t have even told you.”

“But—so why let her…um—let her talk to you like that. When she comes here. You can—she hates you. It’s not right. Why even have her come?” I hate seeing Fitz have to work so hard to talk but I ignore it.

I shrug. The answer is simple. Why can’t he see it? “Because I’d rather see her pissed than not at all. She might hate me but I have to remind myself of why I started this. She is the best part of my day, even when she looks at me like she wants to kill me.”

“There’s something seriously wrong with you, mate.” Hunter finally speaks.

I look at Hunter and I can’t argue with him so I take another sip of my beer.

“Yea, Simmons doesn’t feel the same way about me and took off. But I—I still—still see her.” Fitz admits and I’m grateful he understands.

“You’re both mad.” Hunter is shaking his head and leaning back on his chair, as he chugs the last of his beer.

When the last of the beer is gone, Hunter gets up. “We better get going, mate. I’m sure Coulson will have something or other for us to do tomorrow.” Hunter groans as he stands.

Fitz stands and walks after Hunter.

“I’m sorry, Ward.” Fitz says as he passes me.

I frown. “For what?”

Fitz shrugs. “I tried to kill you.”

I smile and I don’t quite understand why. “It’s ok. I know why you did it. I would have done the same thing. Don’t beat yourself up over it. No matter the circumstances, I still dropped you from a plane.”

Fitz doesn’t say anything else as he leaves.

The next couple of days, I get visits from both Fitz and Andrew. At one point, Fitz comes down as I’m talking to Andrew and I suggest he stay.

“What and do couples counseling?” He asks seriously but chuckles at the end.

This in turn makes me chuckle with him. It’s good to see him smile again.

Andrew asks Fitz how he’s doing and we all have a nice conversation.

Skye is my next visitor. I haven’t seen her in a while.

“We need to talk.” She states the obvious.

“I’m surprised it took you so long.” I admit. Maybe she has questions about her dad.

She frowns, not understanding and then she gets it. “This isn’t about that.”

“Come on, Skye. Don’t pretend you haven’t thought about what I said.”

“Yea, well, I’m pretty sure you’re the last person I’d ever want to talk to about my father.”

“Not if you want to find him.”

“My parents were killed in the Hunan Province, along with everyone else in their village.” She states as if she has all the details.

As much as I hate Raina, I’m grateful she gave me some information of Skye’s parents. It’s something I have to offer her.

“That’s not what happened.”

“I know what you’re doing.”

“I’m just trying to help.”

“No. You’re exploiting a weakness, looking for a way in.”

“I told you—I will never lie to you…not again.”

“Ok. If you’re really being honest, name your source.”

“What?”

“If you have information about my father, tell me where it came from—it’s that simple.” Dammit if her little attitude doesn’t make her more beautiful.

She won’t like my answer.

“Raina.” I finally answer.

She chuckles at me.

“She knows him, Skye.” I try to make her believe me.

“No, I believe that you think she does. Oh. Do you not get it? Raina played you. She found your weakness and then used it against you.”

“Skye—”

“Shut up, Ward. I don’t want to hear you say another word about it.”

She’s pissed off enough that I drop it and sigh.

“Good.” She grabs her tablet and show it to me. “Tell me what you know about this.”

I realize it’s the same stuff Garrett was drawing when he was talking nonsense. “I first saw that when we were in Belarus—me and you, and later on, when Garrett starting etching that on the glass.”

She looks concerned. She looks at the tablet herself. “Garrett carved this stuff himself?”

I nod, 

“Did he say what it was?”

“No, but he wasn’t making a lot of sense after he was injected with the GH-formula.”

Her eyes tell me something. I approach her.

“These writings—they’re not yours? Are they?” She looks frightened but shakes her head.

I sigh in relief. “Good. That’s good because once Garrett started, he couldn’t stop. The writing was everywhere he could carve it—on the walls, on the floor.”

She whispers and I think I caught the word “desk”.

“To be honest, I was almost relieved when SHIELD put him down. The Garrett I knew was long gone once the writing started. And whatever took his place, I don’t think it was meant to survive.”

I was so busy with giving her information that I didn’t catch the horror on her face. If this wasn’t her writings who’s were they? And why did she look so scared.

In an instant I realized who’s made the carvings. As I looked at her, I realized she knew who it was too.

She turned hurriedly and rushed out.

“What the hell did you hide from us, Coulson?” I ask out loud.

The day passes slowly and I’m not surprised when my buzzer goes off late that night.

My door slams open and I see it’s Skye.

“Why the hell would you do that to me?!” I’m shocked at how pissed she is and completely lost.

What the hell did I do now?

“Skye!” I hear Coulson’s voice at the top of the stairs.

I look at her square in the eye. She’s beyond mad. Her eyes are filled with unshed tears.

“Skye, I—”

“You knew my father was a murderer and you didn’t tell me!” She yelled at me.

 

I shut my eyes tight. Damn. What the hell happened? I wanted to tell her about him. To explain.

“Skye!” Coulson was now next to Skye. “Stand down. Go to my office.”

“Coulson—”

“Now, Agent Skye.” Coulson had his Director’s tone. So, Skye made one last face and marched up the stairs.

She slammed the door behind her. 

“Coulson, I—”

“A little heads up about Skye’s father being a killer would have been nice.” Coulson was mad too.

I sigh. “I can explain.”

“Fine.” Coulson hits the button to lower the wall and crosses his arms. “Explain it to me.”

I run my hand through my hair and pace. “I first heard about Skye’s father through Raina. She told me things about him. She called him a monster but after she told me what he did, I understood him.”

Coulson looks shocked.

“Sir, that man has been trying to get revenge on people who took his daughter and killed his wife. He thinks SHIELD murdered his wife. He’s been trying to find them ever since. Now, I know SHIELD would never do that but he’s convinced we’re responsible. It was the 80’s so I believe it was Hydra within SHIELD who took Skye’s mother.” I try to explain but I don’t think it’s coming out right. “Raina said he’s been looking for her his whole life. Now, I’m not insane. I know he’s done some horrible things but so have I. This man lost everything. He lost his wife and his daughter because he couldn’t protect them. He’s done something to himself. Raina either didn’t know or didn’t want to tell me. But he’s modified himself and whatever he’s done has made his stronger but he loses control when he’s angry. Think Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

“Are you telling me you would still have Skye go to him after knowing what he’s done.”

“I’ve never met the man but I don’t think he’d hurt her. I think both their searching would be done once they met. She might be disgusted with who he is but he still loves her and everything he’s done for her is out of love.”

Coulson nods. “That’s why you understand him. That’s why you want her to meet him and understand him. Ward you are nothing like that man. What I saw tonight…you may have done a lot but I don’t think you’d ever do that to another human being.” Coulson sighed.

I didn’t say anything. Maybe that was why I wanted Skye to meet her dad. “What happened, Sir?”

“I’ll explain tomorrow. I need to go talk to Skye. Simmons is back. Raina blew her cover.” Coulson sees my worry, “she’s ok. The agent I sent in to watch her was able to pull her out.”

I breathe easier. “See you tomorrow.”

I sit on my bed and worry about what I’ll say to Skye next time I see her. I wanted to explain about her dad before she tried to see him. Now, she’ll never give him the chance and will most likely not forgive me for trying to arrange a meeting.

Minutes later, my buzzer goes off again. Now who the hell is it?

My door is slammed open and shut.

It’s Hunter and he looks upset.

“Have you talked to Coulson?” He asks.

“About Skye’s father. Why?”

“Not about that bloody man. About Bobbi. Did you know?”

“What about Bobbi? Agent Morse? Know what? What happened, Hunter?” Of all the nights for him to come down and complain about his ex.

“She was Simmons’ backup at Hydra. They’re both back and she’s died her hair bloody brown.” 

Hunter is insane. “You’re upset that she died her hair brown?” I’m trying to understand.

He looks upset at me now. “She looks better as a blonde.” He says through clenched teeth. “You know, mate, I don’t give you a hard time when you complain about Skye.”

“I don’t complain about Skye.” I remind him.

“Well, we all can’t be bloody perfect and still love our exes.” Hunter spats.

I actually chuckle. “Yes, I do love Skye but the only reason you’re mad is because you still love Bobbi and you hate that.”

“Right. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then. You’re no good to me anyway.” Hunter turns and heads up the stairs but not before I hear him mutter, “everyone always takes her bloody side.”

I smile and lay down for what I’m hoping is the last time tonight.

I finally sleep and prepare myself for tomorrow. I know Skye will be back down and she’s going to give me hell about her father.

When my buzzer goes off, I’m calm and prepared. I stand and wait for her to make her way down to me.

She doesn’t say anything at first and I’m not going to say something for her to bite my head off, so I wait for her to start.

She takes me by surprise when she says, “We need to talk about your brother.”

“Which one?” Please say Thomas.

“Your older brother—the senator.”

Of course. “Christian.” Even saying his name, bring bile to my mouth. My blood pressure rises. “Why? What happened?”

“Just need basic information—habits, places he frequently visits, stuff like that.”

He’ll try to twist things around and if he ever knows how I feel about her. He’ll use her to hurt me. “You need to stay away from him. He’s not what he seems.” I’m getting too upset and she sees this. I’m trying to calm down but my body is refusing to listen. “He always has an angle and if he thinks that you can lead him to me—”

“This isn’t about you.”

“Isn’t it? Don’t you remember what happened at the well? What he made me do? He gets joy from one thing—hurting people.” I search Skye’s eyes to see if she believes me. I see compassion. So, I go on, “So, tell me, please. Does he know I’m here?”

I can’t help the tremble that escapes with those last words. I’m not scared for myself. I can defend myself now but I’m scared for what Christian can do to her. For what he can do to me by hurting her or turning her against me.

Skye composes herself. “Not how this works, Ward. You answer my questions, remember?”

“And I always do. I always tell you the truth, but if Christian knows that I am here –”

“You always tell me the truth?”

“Yes.” She looks upset by my answer. “I promised you I’d never lie to you and I haven’t.”

The look she gives me makes me understand she’s thinking about her father.

“What’s this…really about?”

“I need information about your brother—people, connections.” She doesn’t even believe it herself as she asks.

“Is this about your father? Cause I wasn’t lying about him. He’s—”

“He’s a murderer! Why wouldn’t you tell me that detail?” She’s angry but I can see the hurt in her eyes. 

I sigh. We turn into monsters when we fail to protect the people we love.

The laser wall goes white and I can’t see her anymore. Dammit, Coulson! I assume he came in when we weren’t paying attention. Nobody else would have interrupted us like that.

I get that he doesn’t want me talking to Skye about her father but she has to know that she was wanted. I know Skye. All these years, it’s been eating her inside.

I’m surprised when Skye makes her way down a couple of hours later. I didn’t think Coulson would let her back down.

“You’re back.” I smile as I see her come down.

I look up at the cameras. Coulson is not going to be happy that she’s down here. Sorry Coulson. I’m going to take every minute I can with her.

“Cameras off? Does Coulson know that—”

“Coulson’s out. He cut us off last time but now nobody’s watching. Just you and me.”

I eye her carefully. She’s up to something.

“Where is he?” I ask waiting for her response.

She takes a deep breath and finally answers. “He went to see about something some leads?”

Something about the way she says it makes me think it’s Christian he’s gone to. Dammit Coulson. I’ve told you not to trust him. “Is Coulson talking to Christian?” Her silence is my answer. “You can’t trust him. He’ll smile, bare his soul. He is all manipulation. He is a master at it. Look, I know what I am. But my brother…he is worse.”

She looks like she wants to believe me but it’s putting me on edge, how quiet she is.

So, I continue, “I’m telling you the truth. You see that now, don’t you? I never lied about your father. You just didn’t give me the chance to tell you—”

“I know. But I’m giving you the chance now. I want to know everything.”

I nod and start. “The people who died in the Hunan Providence, they weren’t villagers. They were Hydra agents. I assume they were Hydra agents. Your father thought it was SHIELD but SHIELD would have never killed innocent people to get to you or your mother. Hydra found out about your mom. I don’t know how.”

“My mother?” A smile appears on her face and its breath taking. “Is she alive too?” She looks so hopeful.

“No. Hydra killed her. By the time your father tried to get to you, SHIELD had taken you to protect you. To him SHIELD and Hydra are the same. They are both responsible for you and your mother. You were gone and his wife was murdered, so he went on a crusade to find you and to carry out revenge. He’s killed, Skye. There’s no mistaking that. Maybe there’s no forgiveness for that. But the man had lost everything in his life. He’s loved you all your life and everything he’s done, he’s done to try to get to you.”

Unshed tears fill her eyes. “Why?” She asks me. “Why did they kill her?”

It kills me that I can’t take her in my arms and soothe her. “I don’t know, sweetheart. But your father lost it. He’s strong.”

“How? What is he?”

“I don’t know but whatever he is, he just wants to put his family back together. I can help you with that Skye. One day, Coulson will let me out. I can help you find him.”

“How? Where is he?”

“I’ve got connections. There are people I can talk to.”

“What connections? Raina’s gone.”

“I’m resourceful. We can do it together Skye. You and me. I promise.”

She shakes her head and a tear falls. “Thanks. For telling me all you know.” She turns away from me. “They’re transferring you.”

“What? Where?” My body goes into panic mode. Why hasn’t Coulson told me himself?

“Coulson just told me. Christian wants you.” Her voice is quiet.

“What? Skye come on. You guys can’t hand me over to him. I’ve helped you. I’m part of this team.” It was the wrong thing to say. I know it as soon as the words leave my lips.

She flips around to face me. “Part of this team? Part of this team?” She repeats and comes too close to the wall. “We were a family,” she clarifies. She bites down on her lips as she looks me in the eyes. “This team is broken and you—you are the reason we’re broken. You lied to us—to all of us. What we are now—we’re just picking up the pieces. We’re scattered and weak but we wouldn’t be if it weren’t for you.” Her voice as shaking but no more tears were falling, she was holding them all in.

It tore at me. Everything she was saying, I knew. I’d told myself a million times.

She turns and walks away and I hear the sniffle. She’s finally crying.

I look up at the camera. The red light is off so I know it’s not on. I wait for Skye to exit before I turn off the wall and go to the tablet. I call Coulson and make my way back to my bed, hitting the damn wall button.

While I wait, I push Skye and her tears far from my mind. I have to focus on Christian and Coulson and when that’s done, I can focus on what I’m going to do about Skye.

Coulson makes his way in not 5 minutes later.

“I was coming down to see you when I saw your alert. What’s going on?” Coulson looks like his normal self and not like he just stabbed me in the back.

I hit the button again and shrug. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

He’s taken aback by the anger in my voice.

“I was coming to tell you.” He sighs. “Who told you?”

“Why the hell wasn’t I the first to know? You’re turning me over to Christian?! Are you crazy? You know what he did to me. I know I’ve been talking to Andrew but if Christian tries anything, I don’t think I can stop myself from killing him, Coulson.”

Coulson shakes his head. “I know he’s a creep and I know very well what he did. I can see how he manipulates others. If you hadn’t told me what to look for, he might have had me. Of course, I don’t want you anywhere near him. He’s not stupid. He won’t come here himself to get you. He’ll send someone. Maybe the army. That’ll be your chance to escape. Give me some more credit, will you?” Coulson unbuttons his coat and takes the chair. “I’ve told Hunter to come down and prep with you on what you’ll need when you leave. Fitz will be down with an untraceable phone and some gadgets. Now, are you going to tell me who told you?”

I wince. I don’t want to get her in trouble but if they look back, they’ll know it was Skye anyway.

I sigh. I’m cooled off and sit on the bed. “Skye.”

Coulson nods once. “I had a chance to talk to her when I arrived. We had a disagreement and she walked off. I didn’t think she’d come here.” He’s shaking his head now.

“What disagreement? She came down here asking about her dad. And then said I was being transferred. She wanted to get everything she could out of me before she lost her chance.” I smile now. Sure, I felt used but my girl was resourceful.

“It was the only way I could think of to get you out of here. I didn’t want you to escape from here because if you ran into someone, you’d have to hurt them and that wouldn’t look to good on you. I’m not trying to make this worse for you. So, when I was talking to your brother, the idea just came to me. I made the mistake of telling Skye that I was releasing you into your brother’s custody. She wasn’t happy about that.”

I frown. “Why?”

“Why?” Coulson laughs. “It doesn’t matter how much Skye thinks she hates you, Ward. She’ll never really want you to be in any harm. Here you’re a prisoner but you’re safe. I’m turning you over to your brother, to your abuser. She believes you as she should. So, she was ticked off at me for agreeing to hand you over to him.” He smiles. “You know how caring she is.”

With his explanation, my chest fills with gratitude and love for her. Even now, she was watching my back. She might hate me—or think she hates me like Coulson said but even now she didn’t want me in Christian’s hands. She’s pissed at me for lying but I can do pissed any day as long as she doesn’t hate me.

Coulson is looking at me with sadness.

I don’t know what to say.

“I’ll forgive Skye for this one and not bring it up. But at least we know now for sure that there’s hope for both of us for lying to her.” Coulson get up and walks towards me. “Thanks for all your help Agent Ward.”

I stand and take the hand he’s put out. “Thank you, Sir. Really, thank you.”

Coulson nods. “I’ll have Andrew call once in a while to check in with you. Keep an eye out for Agent 33 when you’re out there, will you?”

“Yes, Sir. When should I expect Hunter and Fitz?”

“They should be down later today. Be careful out there.”

I nod once again and I’m surprised when Coulson give me a quick half hug. He’s gone and I’m left to prepare myself mentally to be a free man once again. I have to plan on what to do first once I’m free.


	8. Chapter 8:  Free

As promised, both Hunter and Fitz came down. Both came with gifts. It was nothing they could give me now but they told me where they would stash them when I escaped. 

Fitz was leaving me a bag with an untraceable phone, an Icer, a real gun and finger print and retina scanners in case I needed them. Hunter told me how to get ahold of him and that Coulson had given him the go ahead to help on any mission I needed him for. He let me know where I could go to lay low. He had a safe house I could use and told me he’d made sure he’d leave contacts for me there.

“Coulson’s right. My brother won’t come. He’ll send the army maybe. No more than 6 men. They’ll cuff me and escort me out. The best chance I have to get out is in the car they put me in.” I sit and talk to both Fitz and Hunter.

Hunter is nodding. “Listen, mate, once you’re out, go straight for the bag. Lay low for a while if you need to. Your brother will put your face on everything to get you back and make himself look good.”

“So, you’re just going play bad guy…is that it?” Fitz asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I have to. It’s the only chance we have of bringing down Hydra.” I stand up to shake goodbye with both of them.

“See you out there, mate. Call if you need anything.” Hunter is the first to leave.

“Right. Well, I’m going right back to hating you.” Fitz looked like a lost boy. 

I gave him a tight smile. I didn’t know what to say.

“Will you ever tell her the truth?”

“Once Hydra is out of the picture.”

“What if you’re caught—or die?” Fitz looks genuinely afraid for me and another wave of guilt hits me. I’ll never be able to make up for what I’ve done to him but he’s so fast to forgive me.

The thought had crossed my mind of me dying. “Then, I hope I do enough to have the team forgive me. Take care Fitz. Don’t give up on Simmons and watch out for Skye for me.”

Fitz holds himself tall and I genuinely smile. “I’ll watch over her like I watched over you.”

He surprises me as he takes me into a hug. This one is not like Coulson’s. This is an actual hug. Any other time, I’d be uncomfortable but I’m pleased Fitz has forgiven me. He steps back, gives me one last look and he too heads out.

I’m ready for Coulson when he makes his way down to me the next day. He has men with him who are in full combat gear and are armed.

He instructs me to put out my hands and I’m cuffed. I make sure to look at him with disbelief and anger for what he’s doing.

I have to put myself into character. This is what I excel at. I’m great at undercover, at espionage. I can do this. I feel my body change from the inside out. Like I’m shedding into a new skin or rather an old skin.

I try to steel myself because I’m pretty sure I’m going to pass some of the old team and I won’t like the looks they give me. I pray that Fitz isn’t there to give anything away.

The first I pass is Tripp and he looks at me like he’s looking at Garrett again. Pure hate.

I see Fitz in the background but he turns away so as to not look me in the eye and I’m grateful for it. As I keep going, he can’t help but walk up and look at me. I give him a look of pure grief. 

And there she is. Skye, trying not to show any emotion. Simmons is standing next to her. I don’t have any control over my body when it calls out to her. Skye very wisely ignores me and keeps looking forward. Simmons is another story. She’s cut her hair. She stands in front of Skye, blocking her from my view and threatens to kill me next time she sees me.

Ouch. That’s cold. But it’s not far from what Fitz tried to do. For some reason, I’m scared of her and I’ve never been before. As I look at her, I see a coldness in her eyes that was never there before. 

A bag is placed over my head and I focus on my breathing and pay attention to how far I go and how I’m being moved. I’m trying to memorize and listen for everything around me.

It’s not long before I hear Coulson warn the men taking me to not to give me an inch. A smile begins to form and the bag starts to come off so I wince at the sunlight instead.

I let them take me into the back of an armored car and three men get in with me. Before they close the door, I see Coulson one last time and he gives me a ‘good luck’ look before walking away.

I’m insulted. Three men. That’s all they’re going to put me back here with. I shake my head. They’re asking me to escape.

I let them get me a couple of blocks away before I dislocate my thumb and pull my hand through the cuff. It’s easy to take all the men down. I didn’t even have to break a sweat. I shake my head again. This is the best they could come up with. I was out of shape and it was still easy to take them down.

It takes no time at all to get to the bag that Fitz and Hunter left for me. In it is a pair of clothes and all my fun gadgets. I pull the phone out and text Fitz, “thanks”.

I see there are no passports or cash as planned. Coulson wants it to look like I really did escape and for that I have to act like I’m not getting any help. So, I have to go to one of my many lockers and grab one of my own bags.

I quickly change into the clothes that were left and make my way downtown. I have to get some money to get to the nearest bus. I have a locker in Pennsylvania. I can easily steal a car but I don’t know how mad Christian will be or if he’ll notify the authorities. Bus is safest at the moment.

I steal some creep’s wallet, grab the cash and toss the wallet in the trash bin. I sleep most of the way there. I’m confident nobody knows I’m missing yet or that someone is looking for me this quickly. It’s a long bus ride. I switch busses only once but it still takes longer than I would like for it to take.

The next day I finally arrive at my destination. I make my way to the bathroom as soon as I spot Trip. I ignore him and head for my locker. I grab the bag and open it to make sure it has everything I need. I head into the bathroom and quickly strap on the C-4 I had in the bag and run the wire up my sleeve. I take a deep breath and go back out.

Trip has his eyes on me. I make sure he sees the explosives and the wire and head back out. I hop onto the first bus I see.

It’s heading towards Atlanta which suits me. But I’m getting really tired of sitting. I take a seat in the back and try to go over a plan of how I’m going to get back into Hydra.

I’m expecting SHIELD to be in Atlanta when I arrive. I know Coulson has to send someone. What would it look like if he didn’t. I just think it’s a waste of time. There’s so many other things those agents should be doing.

I’m a trained secret agent. A damn good one if I do say so myself. I keep watch but notice all civilians in the bus I’m in. I sit back and try to relax. There won’t be time for relaxing once I find any Hydra heads or any of their minions.

I’m grateful when the bus finally arrives and make my way out.

Come on. Really? The first agent I see is Bobbi Morse. She might not remember us meeting but I do. It was in passing. Peoples names were thrown out. We didn’t even talk but I remember that face. She’s pretending to read a book and I roll my eyes under my sunglasses.

I continue to walk and look around. I only just hold back my laugh when I spot Hunter in a cowboy hat on a bench. I laugh inwardly instead. I have to remember to make fun of him for that hat later.

I spot a woman and her son. Perfect. I’ll use them. I take off my sunglasses and put on my friendly face and smile. I offer her my services and act nice to the kid. She thanks me and I help with their bag onto another bus. She’s headed to Dallas.

The lady asks me to join. I drop my act and head to the back. It’s only halfway down that I notice Agent Morse again. Damn. How did she get in here?

“Excuse me?” I say as I lean in. She hasn’t even turned the damn page in her book. Stupid mistake.   
“Is that seat taken?” I point to the seat next to hers.

She shakes her head all the while acting like she doesn’t care. “All yours.”

“Thanks.”

I put my bag and jacket in the overhead bin and ask, “Don’t like to fly, huh?”

“Excuse me?”

“I never understood why people would take the bus when they can fly.”

“Says the man in the bus.”

“Last minute trip.” I take my seat next to her. “Didn’t have a choice.” I turn to her, “Did you have a choice?”

She plays with her hair. “I like the scenery. Can’t see the world with your head in the clouds.”

“Can’t see it with your face in a book either.”

“It’s a long trip. There’s plenty of time for everything.”

I’m not even slightly entertained here. “Well, you could just skip to the end.”

“And miss all the good parts in between?”

She’s all yours Hunter. I don’t see the draw here. “Can’t be all that interesting.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you were on page 117 when you were waiting outside. And you’re still on page 117. So, either you’re a really slow reader… or you’re working for Coulson.”

She fakes confusion. “Who?”

I chuckle. She better be playing a stupid agent because she’s not giving this character even 50%. “I am impressed. You can tell him I said that. I almost missed you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m sure they told you about this,” I show her the kill switch in my wrist, “if you try or say anything…everyone in this bus will be flying.”

I see her swallow as she sees the explosive.

“So, just keep reading your book and hope for a happy ending.” As I give her one last look, I can see that she hates me and wishes she could punch me.

She earns points for the look.

“Driver.” I call up as I get up. “I’m on the wrong bus. Guess I uh…need to pay closer attention to things.”

I can feel her glare at the back of my head as I make my way to the front of the bus.

I hop off the bus and jump into one going to Boston.

“Sorry,” I tell the bus driver, “had to get rid of some excess baggage.”

I look up to see Hunter in that stupid cowboy hat. I smile and again try not to laugh.

He squints his eyes and I can almost hear him say, “don’t you dare laugh”. I try to imagine it with a southern accent and I actually laugh this time.

I hear him mutter something under his breath. I don’t know if he’s making a comment at me or responding to someone on comms.

I pull an old phone out of the pack and turn it on. I look for some old contacts and make a call. It’s not hard to get ahold of Bakshi. I raise a lot of red flags as I make the calls. A lot of people are going to question where I’ve been but I can handle it. I’ve got my story worked out.

I tell Bakshi where I’ll be and that he can meet me there. He’s not very talkative.

Hunter stays on my six as I travel through town after we arrive. I make my way to the Hydra bar where I’m supposed to meet Bakshi.

I see Joe tending bar and he greets me with a choice between two drinks. He gives it to me for free and says it’s good to have me back. I drink as I wait for my guest to arrive.

We take a table and I let him go on about how he thought I was dead.

“Not dead.” I finally say with a small smile. “Waiting. I was locked in a cage. Before that I was trapped behind a SHIELD badge. Now I’m finally free.” I’m confident this idiot will believe me.

“How can we help you?”

“Since Strucker is overseas, I assume you report to someone else.”

“That’s correct.”

“I want a meeting.” I lean forward on the table.

“Though we do appreciate your talents and your loyalty, Mr. Whitehall is a very busy man.”

“Will his schedule open up if I can get you a face-to-face with Coulson? Close enough to put a bullet in his head.” I take a small drink and watch his as he smiles.

He’s on cloud 9. The poor fool.

The phone I got from Fitz vibrates in my pocket. I take it out and see it’s a message from Hunter. “Bobbi is here.”

Damn. I’m out of time. If Bobbi has arrived the rest of SHIELD won’t be far away.

It’s too bad Bakshi and his men didn’t think to search me. I take a look at everyone in the bar and I’m confident I can get clean shots on all of them before they realize what I’m doing. I have the silencer on so Bobbi and Hunter won’t hear the gun shots.

I aim for Joe first. He’s got weapons behind the bar and I know he’s quick on his feet. Then, I go for the goons that came in with Bakshi. He panics when the men lie at his fee. His hands are in the air. He thinks I’m going to shoot him too.

I smile as I approach and punch him twice. He’s knocked out by the second punch.

I grab my bag and pull out some zip ties and some other odds and ends to tie him up. My first gift for the Director and I haven’t even been out 2 whole days.

I take a deep breath, smile and get to work.

“This is going to work. I can do this.” I say out loud.

I leave Bakshi tied up and leave through the back. Hunter is keeping Bobbi occupied so they don’t see when I make my exit.

I go straight for a safe house. I take a couple of buses and then a taxi to get to it but I eventually get there about 6 hours later. 

I keep an eye out for SHIELD but I know I’m safe. Even if Hunter would have seen me leave the bar, he wouldn’t have followed.

I sigh once in the safe house but take my gun out. I put my things down quietly and make sure nobody is here. Once it’s cleared, I let myself relax. I grab my stuff and go to the bedroom.

I need a shower. I feel dirty and I know it has a lot to do with the men I killed. It’s not sitting right with me, even when I know I had no other choice. Those men were Hydra and to get Bakshi to Coulson I had to make sure they weren’t just knocked out. Getting into Hydra Agent was making my skin crawl.

I have to make sure I call Andrew. He’ll know how to calm me down.

I do a meditation exercise and peel my clothes off to take a much needed shower.

Skye is not going to like the bodies I left behind but as far as she knows, I’m a bad guy. A bad guy would leave bodies behind. Every angle of this has to make me look like a bad guy. 

When I step out of the shower, I finally take a look at my reflection in the mirror. I need a hair cut and this beard is not me although I don’t mind it.

Hydra Agent Grant Ward would not look like this though so it has to go. Hydra Agent Grant Ward is all military. I’m clean shaven, so I get to work.

When I’m done I feel a lot better. I stroll over to the bed and pick up my old Hydra phone. My hands are itching to call Bakshi. I know how SHIELD works. Skye will be going through it to see what they can get out of it.

I get dressed before I let myself reach for the phone. Skye answers on the third ring.

“Hail Hydra.” Comes her snarky and beautiful voice.

“Hey Skye.” Will I ever get over her?

“Where are you?”

“Just wanted to make sure you got my present. I promised him a face to face with Coulson.” I smile. “Probably not exactly what he had in mind. I’ll be sending a few other gifts your way now and then.”

“Like a car bringing in dead birds?” She asks. “No thanks.”

“Just trying to be helpful. Oh, met the new recruits. I don’t think they need to hang around much longer.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Just a suggestion. Coulson could do better. Then again…I am hard to replace.”

“How about you tell me where you are and we can talk about it?”

“I have to go now, Skye. I have a few personal matters to attend to. But I’ll be seeing you soon. I promise.”

She isn’t going to like where I’m going. I’m not going to hurt Christian but he’s not going to like when I bring him down. The world had to know who he was. He worked with Hydra and if I was going to bring down Hydra, I had to bring all their benefactors down. 

I prepared for the trip to see Christian but before I could step put of the door, my hand starts to shake. I grip the door handle and clench my jaw.

I hate that Christian still has this effect on me. I’m not scared but angry. I can’t stop to think how my life would be different if it weren’t for him.

“You chose your path. Don’t blame him.” I remind myself.

I turn and take out my SHIELD phone. I call the number pre-programmed on my phone and wait for the answer.

“Grant.”

I let the breath that I didn’t even know I was holding in. My pulse calms. “Hi, Andrew.”

“How are you feeling? Coulson told me you were out.”

“I have to go talk to Christian.” I answer.

Andrew is quiet for a moment. “I see. And how can I help you?”

“I’m afraid I’m going to kill him.” I confess.

“Grant, do you want to kill him?”

“Yes.” I answer honestly. The silence stretches out between us and I finally add, “but I won’t.”

“You know yourself better now, Grant. You have the power of choice. You and nobody else leads your life. If you’re going to kill him, do it because you feel it’s right. Don’t let that rage inside you control you.”

I half smile. “Did you just give me the ok to kill my own brother?”

“Absolutely not. I don’t know the world of spy and I neither understand it or want to understand it. But your life is lived differently than most people because of what you do. I think human life should be spared. I feel there’s always an answer before violence but I don’t like in your world. In your world, I know that violence comes with the job. I know there are things that you like any military man out there has to do. All I’m saying is don’t let your emotions cloud your judgement. Don’t let them steer you wrong. You are changing your life. Is killing Christian something that the old Grant Ward wants done or is it something the new one has to do.”

I rub the back of my neck as I think about what Andrew is saying. “Why do I always feel like I get more questions out of you than answers?” I ask with frustration.

“I’m not here to tell you what to do Grant. I’m here to help you be you. I’m here to uncloud your thoughts. My job is to get you to stand on your own two feet and make sure you’re healthy.”

“Fine. I’ll call you again sometime soon.”

“Grant,” Andrew speaks before I can hang up, “call me if you want to talk—after you’ve seen him. I’ll make sure to have my phone on me.”

“Thanks.”

“And, Grant.”

“Yeah?” I reach for the door again.

“No matter what happens, Coulson and I trust you. Whatever you decide, we’ll stand by your choice.”

I feel a tightness in my chest. It means a lot to hear and I know Coulson would agree with him. It’s crazy that they have this much trust in me even after everything.

“I’ll call you.” Is all I can say before I hang up and I’m on the move.

I tail Christian for a couple of days. He’s got a lot of men looking after him. None that know what to look for or know what they’re doing. His days are uneventful, boring even. 

When I’m not following Christian, I’m working out. I’ve had enough sleep to last me a lifetime so I only get 3 or 4 hours nowadays. I need to get back in shape. I did a lot of push ups and sit up while in my room but I’ve lost a lot of cardio. In no time at all, I feel like I can’t catch my breath. So, I run most nights.

I try to look for an opening to get to Christian. I call one of Hunter’s contacts to see what kind of info they can get on my brother while I stalk him. He keeps to a pretty tight schedule. It’s a bit repetitive.

My SHIELD phone goes off unexpectedly. I frown as I answer and I don’t say anything, wondering who’s on the other side.

“You called Bakshi’s phone to talk to Skye?” It’s Coulson.

“I just wanted to hear her voice.” I explain.

“Yea, well…you just pissed her off. Wants to know who I have on you.”

I nod. That sounded like Skye. “Is Bakshi talking yet?” I ask to change the subject.

“Morse is talking to him.”

I roll my eyes. “Morse? Sir, these new recruits—”

“Careful about what you say about my agents, Ward.”

“Sir, no disrespect. They just need to be more careful.”

“Not all of them can be specialist of your caliber. Do I have to remind you that SHIELD is technically nonexistent and I’m scrabbling to get allies?”

“Is Hunter on assignment?” I change the subject yet again.

“No. Do you need him for anything?”

“Not yet. I’m tailing Christian so I might call him soon.”

“He’s got people looking for you.” Coulson says like I don’t know.

“Yea. Second graders by the looks of it. They won’t find me.”

“And you’re sure he’s working with Hydra?”

“Maybe unintentionally but yes.”

“Ok. Let us know what you dig up and I’ll let Hunter know to be ready in case you call.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Give me a heads up next time you want to talk to Skye.”

“I will.” I hang up and watch as Christian makes his way out of a restaurant and into his car.

After a couple of days, I find my opening. He’s going to see his mistress and go to our family home to do it. Classic Christian.

I get out there before he even arrives and scope out that he doesn’t have anyone else on the property. There are no cameras which I anticipated. Nobody is bringing their mistress to a cabin where they can be recorded. Before I’m done, a maid arrives.

I recognize her immediately. She worked for my parents’ years ago. I’m surprised Christian kept her employed. He always hated her.

“Lucia?” I enter the room only because we always got along.

“Señor Grant?” She’s shocked and then she surprises me by running to me. She hugs me quickly and steps back at arm length to look me over.

“Como ah estado Lucia?” (How have you been, Lucia?)

“Ay, Señor Grant. Pensé que nunca volvería a verlo.” (I thought I’d never see you again.)

“Lucia, digame todo lo que sabe de mi hermano Christian.” (Lucia, tell me everything you know about my brother Christian.)

She shakes her head. “Se trae a su amante aqui a veces.” (He brings his mistress here sometimes.) “No se como lo aguanta su mujer. Especialmente por como trata a sus hijos.” (Especially because of how he treats his sons.)

That statement makes me freeze. He wouldn’t! “A sus hijos? Lucia que les hace? Los golpea?” (His sons? Lucia, what does he do to them? Does he hit them?)

She shakes her head. “Los humilla. Les grita. Abusa de ellos en todas formas pero se cuida de no pergarles.” (He humiliates them. He yells at them. He abuses them in all forms but is careful not to hit them.)

My insides turn. He will never stop. “Lucia, necesito que se vaya. Christian viene para aca con su amante. Quiero halar con mi hermano.” (Lucia, I need you to leave. Christian is coming to see his mistress. I want to speak to my brother.)  
“Si señor Grant.” (Yes, Mr. Grant.) She gives me a small smile before giving me a quick hug. “Fue un gusto verlo. Espero que este feliz.) (It was a pleasure seeing you. I hope you’re happy.)

“Igualmente. Adios, Lucia.” (Same here. Goodbye, Lucia.) I smile down at her and she turns to leave.

Christian’s car arrives not 10 minutes later and I make it through his guards too quickly. I slam one of their heads through the window closest to Christian and yank him out through the door.

He cries like a little girl when I fling him to the ground.

“Hey big brother.” I can’t hide my amusement at his frightened face. “Heard you were looking for me.”

“Grant.” He finally speaks and I see him dart his eyes as if thinking he can outrun me. I laugh.

“Shut up and get up.” I take out my gun and point it at him.

He scrambles off the ground and puts his hands up. “Don’t—don’t shoot me.”

“Shut up and hold still.” I put the gun away and grab some rope to tie around his hands. He’s smart enough to know not to try to fight me now. When I’m done, I step back and point for him to walk.

He looks at the direction I point and looks back at me, confused.

I roll my eyes, take out the gun again and point my gun in the direction that I want him to walk. “Walk,” I saw tersely. 

He keeps looking back at me. I walk not to far away incase he gets any ideas. But as we walk, I take in the scenery and can’t stop the memories from my youth.

We spent our summers out here.

“Ok. Are we going to talk or just go camping? Look, I don’t know what Hydra hopes to achieve, but I’m sure you and I can come up with a better plan than kidnapping a senator.”

I roll my eyes again. He sounds so pathetic. “Hydra doesn’t care about you.”

“And they care about you?” He turns to me as he walks, “have they protected you? Because I was the one who got you out of SHIELD.”

I grab his arm and push him to walk faster. “To have me executed.” I remind him through my teeth. “A public trial, your face all over it.” I push him again.

He turns away, and watches where he’s going. “Is that what you think? If I didn’t broker that deal and did the speech Mr. Coulson wanted me to on TV would we be out here now?” He comes to a stop to look at me. “You’re free because of me.”

“I fought my way out.” I step into his face so that he can see he has no power over me. I want him to know I’m not afraid of him.

“Though how many? The four men I had on detail?”

Does he say shit to believe it himself?

I grab him once more and push him. He needs to keep moving. The faster I’m done with him, the better. “Keep going. I’m enjoying this.”

“Enjoying what?” He is walking backwards now, giving me a lost and confused look.

“Watching you work.”

He looks exasperated. “I’m—I’m trying to have an honest conversation. Ok, one second I think I’m gonna be meeting Anna, and the next thing I know, you’re dragging me through the dirt—”

“Changing tactics, using my name, mentioning your wife—I used to fall for all your tricks.”

“That is not how I think, Grant! That’s how you think.”

“And now you’re turning it back on me.” I grab his arm and pull him close, “You take over mother!”

“Listen to yourself! Just listen to yourself!” He points both fingers at me and comes to an abrupt halt. “You twist every act and blame it on somebody else! Mom and Dad were terrible, but they didn’t put the match in your hand when you burnt down that damn house! And I didn’t squeeze the trigger when you killed all those people!”

Damn he was good. He was a psychopath. “I went to a Spy Academy to learn the traits of manipulation but you—you learned it all on your own Christian. You excel at it. You’re a master at it.” I should be afraid of him. “No. It is my fault. I let you all hollow me out, control me.”

“Spare the non-apology. I’m a Senator.”

“I take control for my actions, Christian.” I say it a little louder than I meant to but he’s just getting under my skin. “Now it’s your turn.”

I walk away from him and grab the shovel because we have arrived at our destination.

“What are you…”

I shove the shovel into the ground and face him.

He knows instantly what this is about. “The well.” He’s breathing heavy. He’s panicking. “You still blame me for the well. We both know that it was you who nearly killed Thomas down there.”

“Do you sleep better telling yourself that?”

“You know, I don’t know what crazy lies that you have built up all these years, but the well doesn’t even exist anymore. It’s gone. Mom and Dad buried it.”

He’s panicking because he’s going to have to face it. “Oh, no.” I come up to him. “They just covered it up.” I throw the shovel at him feet.

Christian looks at the shovel and back at me.

“Dig.” I say as I lean back on the tree.

It didn’t take long for him to start breaking all on his own.

“I don’t understand. What do you want out of all this?”

I come to stand by him. “I want the truth…about this one even from my past. Admit that you made me push Thomas down the well.” I casually hit the recording device on my watch.

“No. You forced him. He was terrified and you wouldn’t pull him up. You enjoyed it.”

I clench my jaw and unclench. “Keep trying to put thoughts in my head…like you always have.”

He doesn’t say anything, just keeps digging.

“You used to convince me they were my own. Not anymore.”

“You lie to yourself. You want to know why? It’s simple. You can’t reconcile all the ugly, horrible things you do with the hero you so desperately want to become.”

He’s not wrong. I do want to be a hero—or at least a worth man.

He shovels for about a minute and then his shovel hits something hard.

“You’re out of dirt.”

He pauses for a second and I come closer. He takes the opportunity to hit me in the stomach with the shovel, essentially knocking the wind out of me.

FUCK!

But the time it takes him to jump out of the shallow hole, is the same time it takes me to jump on my feet to catch him.

It takes me no time to grab him and slam him against the tree. I yank him back and drag him back to the well. “Sorry to see it going down this way.”

“No no no no.” He’s crying as I shove him into the ground. He lands on his stomach with his face even with the hole.

I step into the hole and pull up the cover for the well.

He’s bleeding above the eye and he’s still crying no as I yank him closer to the well. I hold him above the opening. “Admit it! Not to me—to yourself.”

“No.”

“It’s dark down there, Christian. You’ll have plenty of alone time to think.”

“You think.” He trembles, “I’m your brother. Please. No.”

“Goodbye, Christian.” I snarl in his ear before grabbing his pants and start to push him in.

“All right! I did it! I did. I know! I wanted him dead! I’m sorry! I wanted him dead!”

Thank God. I breathe easier. It’s a weight off my shoulder. Of course, I knew my truth but I have to admit that sometimes even I questioned my memories. I pull Christian back onto safe ground.

He looks like a pathetic piece of crap as he sits up crying. “Thomas was the only one Mother didn’t torture. And Dad always her let do it. She loved him so much.” Apparently after admitting what he’d done he wanted to explain himself.

What I was hearing was the truth, no doubt about it. But he used the truth to excuse his actions, like I’d done.

“It had to end.” He continued. “I wanted her to feel our pain. But I didn’t have the courage to do it myself.” His crying was getting worse. “I’m sorry. Grant, I’m so sorry.”

I felt pity for him. I recalled all the times our mother beat us. Dad was a functioning alcoholic and she was just depressed. 

“I’m sorry.” He repeats.

“It’s ok.”

He looks up, surprised.

“That’s all I wanted to hear.” I help him stand.

It took me a second of feeling sorry for him before my head cleared. He wanted me to feel bad for him. He’d just admitted of torturing out brother through me and I was feeling sorry for him. He wasn’t sorry. If he was sorry, he would love his wife or at least his kids. 

He was still repeating his violent circle. I don’t know if he beats his wife but I’m pretty sure he does. Lucia had admitted to me what he was doing to his children. I tasted bile in my mouth. He was good.

I pull him into a hug and whisper, “Now, how long have you been hitting your wife?”

I’m fishing because again, I don’t know for sure.

He stumbles back. “It—it’s been a while. I’m getting better. She understands I have issues. We’re trying to work through them.”

I walk with him and keep my body at ease. He has to believe that I’m done with my anger. He has to believe that I’m on his side. “Christian, I know you’re not meeting your wife, Anna. I know about Lindsey.”

I smile at him and give him the ‘you-dog’ look.’

After he sees my reaction, he smiles. “Do you know about Trina?” He laughs.

Ugh. He’s disgusting.

“No more taking it out on the kids either.” I say as we keep talking.

That comments makes him stop in his tracks.

I put my hands up and smile, “Hey, they’re your kids. I’m just saying, if people found out you’d be in real trouble.”

He keeps walking after me. “I make sure not to hit them. Do you think I’m stupid?”

This is the most honest Christian has ever been. It makes me sick that he’s my brother. I know how he treated me and Thomas but to think he’s doing things to his own children.

“I did learn my lesson, Grant. It’s harder to prove abuse if it isn’t physical.” I mute him at that point and let him ramble as me make out way back to the main house.

I have a good hour of his confession and I’m planning on sending it to the news media as soon as I can but I want him to know that he brought himself down.

So, when we finally make it to the house, I turn to him and he’s all smiles.

I give him a look and he takes a step back.

“Christian, I have never heard you speak so much. I think the media is going to love this audio.” I turn around.

“Audio?” He asks.

I hit play on my watch and hold it up. I let him hear his own voice for a second before I go to the vehicle I had stashed. I did not care what happened after this. I was going to enjoy watching him get burned at the stake.

I call Hunter from inside the vehicle.

“Yea?” Hunter answers immediately.

“Hunter, I’m sending you over a file. Make sure it goes out to all media outlets.”

“What is it? Did you say the media?”

“Yes.” I click the file and send it. “Do you have it?”

“Got it, mate.” I can hear him listening to the file. “Is this your brother.”

“Yes.” I turn on the vehicle and get out of the property.

“Damn. Did he just say what I think he said? Did you kill him? I would have killed him. Do we need a team to go pick him up?”

I roll my eyes. “What? No.”

“Bummer. Ok. Do you want me to edit any of this?”

“No. Send it as is. And be ready to go. I’m going to call for you soon.”

“Got it. Oh, and we found out that Whitehall is an old geezer though he set back the clock. You might need that information. Name of Reinhardt. Caught by Peggy Carter herself. File has been sent”

“I can use that. Thanks, Hunter.”


	9. Chapter 9:  Getting Skye

The news blew up immediately. My recording was on every news station and internet site. I wasn’t sorry about it. The world finally knew what kind of sick son of a bitch my brother was and in turn my parents too.

After the initial news, I ignored it. I was proud of myself. I hadn’t killed him which to be honest was what I’d been wanting to do for a long time. But he wasn’t worth it. I’d killed a lot of people in my life. He’d made me an angry child, I wasn’t going to let him keep power over me.

I’d let my anger and hate consume me as a young man which had made it easier for John Garrett to manipulate and semi brain wash me. The pain in my heart surfaced any time I thought of John. Even now, knowing what I knew, it was difficult to accept him as the villain.

I ignore that pain and go through my day. I meet Hunter’s contact and with the information I got from Bakshi, I have enough to find Daniel Whitehall.

It’s easy to convince him that I’d be an asset on his team. He brings up the news and it seems Christian has committed suicide. I fake a smile and lean back in my chair.

I knew there was a chance Christian would do this. He was always a coward. I’m sure both my parents will follow though not by suicide. They’re older and the years haven’t been kind to them. 

I hear Hydra agents talking about a lost city and a diviner as I go to my assigned room. I send a coded message to Hunter’s contact to get to Hunter. 

Coulson has to know about this city or at least be on alert that Hydra is searching for it.

I get sent out on my first mission. Whitehall needs some enemies taken out. He sends me with a team and puts me in charge. Compared to some of these are still rookies. I get irritated with them and yell a lot. One of them has a mouth on him, so I put him in his place by breaking his jaw and knocking him out. The rest of the men are scared of me so they follow my orders.

I pass by Agent 33 a couple of times. It’s known that she’s brainwashed by all but her. I feel pity as I watch her follow Whitehall like a lap dog. She looks at him with such devotion. But I befriend her quickly. She reminds me of what I felt for John. I call her Kara not Agent 33 and she smiles.

She smiles a lot at me now when she sees me and gives me a nod. She doesn’t talk to anyone much but that’s because she’s worried Whitehall will see it as a weakness.

I watch her closely and Whitehall notices. When he asks, I just smile and say, “She’s nice to look at.” 

After 3 missions in 4 days, Whitehall tells me that he wants me to meet “The Dr”. I have no clue as to who he’s speaking about but he explains who he is and how it won’t be long before he kills him. It dawns on me that it’s Skye’s father he may talking about.

Whitehall also mentions that “The Dr” has had a run in with Coulson and some SHIELD Agents while looking into finding the so-called city.

I take a seat next to Whitehall and wait for him to arrive. Inside I feel like a nervous teenager which is absurd. I never even dated Skye’s for God’s sake. Why should I be worried about meeting her father?

I close my eyes for a second and tell my body to relax. It obeys immediately and I feel confident as I watch “The Dr” enter the room.

I’m amused at the way he speaks to Whitehall. It’s clear he doesn’t like him. He sits as Whitehall explains who I am.

I watch him carefully. His eyes turn softer and hopeful.

“I was a member of Coulson’s Team. Lived with them for months.” I don’t know how much to say to him. I don’t know why he’s here but I do want to see his reaction to this information.

“So, you know the entire team?”

“Like family. Heard you crossed Coulson. That can be rough.” I say it as a statement but I’m hoping he will give me some details on what happened. Hopefully my team is all accounted for.

“Oh, it wasn’t a complete loss. It’s always good to look your enemy right in the eye.” He goes from looking at me to looking at Whitehall.

Both men are looking at each other and it’s obvious they’re both looking the enemy in the eye. 

I give out a small smile. I wonder what Skye’s dad is doing with Whitehall.

I listen as the two men talk about the Obelisk (aka the Diviner) and about the city. I start paying attention again when Skye’s dad mentions Raina. 

Well, this is going to be good.

Later that night, “The Dr” approaches me as I’m on the treadmill.

“What can I do for you, Doctor?” I ask but don’t stop running.

“Cal,” he corrects, “you said you knew Coulson’s team as family.”

“I did.” I keep running, knowing where this is going.

He seems to hesitate as if not knowing how to ask something, so I ignore it and wait.

“Coulson’s team. There’s a young woman on the team. I believe you know her as Skye.” Cal clears his throat and looks at me with a smile he can’t keep off his face.

I frown at him and push the button to stop the treadmill. I nod and wipe the sweat from my brow.

“How did she—how long—what can you tell me about her?” It seems like Cal can’t figure out what he wants to know more.

I know Skye and I can’t figure out what I want to know about her either. I pity the man and see he’s waiting for my answer. I shrug.

“Skye? She’s the best hacker we’ve got.” I get off the treadmill and watch him.

His smile widens. “I mean, her personality.”

I start walking to where I left my water and he follows me slowly, dying for information.

I take a drink and finally give him what he wants. “Skye, is like nobody I’ve ever known. She’s had a hard like but she sees the good in people. She stays positive and hopeful. She’s funny. She’s smart. She’s brave. She’s honest. She doesn’t know where she comes from but knows who she is. She cares.” I realize I got lost in my talking about Skye and dropped my act.

I realize it the moment his face changes and takes in what he’s seeing and hearing from me.

He’s taken aback and I tense. Dammit. He’s made me.

“You love her.” Cal is no longer smiling. He looks angry. “I can see it. DON’T—” his neck strains, “don’t try to lie to me.”

I try to read him. My body automatically responded when he got loud and I’m ready to strike. I compose myself.

“You’re not good enough for her.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

He grabs at his hair with both his hands and starts pacing. “A Hydra agent falling in love with MY DAUGHTER!” He shushes himself and comes toward me. 

I watch him closely but I don’t think he’ll hurt me.

“I became an agent for Hydra because of John Garrett but I was never loyal to the cause. I infiltrated SHIELD for Garrett and yes, I fell in love with her. She wasn’t too happy when she found out I turned my back on SHIELD. I didn’t mean to fall in love with her. It just happened but it’s Skye. She’s easy to love.”

“I wouldn’t know SHIELD took her from me.”

“Hydra took her from you. SHIELD has kept her safe her whole life.”

He looks at me, trying to get a read. “So, why are you here?’

I shrug. “I’m not loyal to SHIELD or Hydra but I made a promise to Skye. I told her I’d reunite her with her father.”

Cal glares at me. “How? Why?”

“It’s the only way I can make it up to her. She’s been searching for you her whole life. Raina told me about you. I know some of what you’ve become but I get it. You’ve done what you’ve done for your family. I can’t fault you for that.”

“You knew who I was when Whitehall introduced us?”

I nod.

“So, why the act?”

“I don’t particularly want him to know I’m not loyal to him or to Hydra. I came here searching for you. Didn’t have to wait long.”

Cal is quiet and I wait to see what he’s going to say.

“You know I’m going to kill him—don’t you?”

“I don’t really care one way or another.” 

“He killed her. He killed my wife. Experimented on her. Cut her piece by piece and then threw her like garbage.” He’s angry again. Holding back tears.

I answer honestly. “Like I said, I’m here to help you get to Skye. I’m sorry about your wife. Losing someone you love like that would drive anyone mad.”

“I’m a monster. Why would Skye ever want to meet me?”

I looked at him square in the eye. “What you’ve done doesn’t matter. She might be angry at first or disgusted but if you love her, she’ll come around. Make her understand. Tell her when you see her what happened that night. Make sure she knows she was always wanted.” I start to walk away. We can’t keep talking or we’ll be found but I stop by the door. “She’s lived her life thinking she wasn’t wanted, make sure she knows how false that is.”

I think I hear a faint, “Thank you,” as I walk into the hall.

I duck my head for the next day or two, just listening in on what some agents are saying and I wait for Kara to come back from a mission.

I was about to hit the gym again when Whitehall calls for me.

“Sit?” I walk in him pitting his blazer on.

“Agent Ward. I need you to retrieve our young friend Raina for me. SHIELD put a tracker on her and we want to have you find her signal.”

I nod once. “Yes, Sir.”

“She’s being help by SHIELD. That won’t be a problem will it?” He eyes me, trying to read anything from me.

I blank and steel myself. “No, Sir. When do I leave?”

“Immediately. The rest of the team is waiting for you in the hanger.”

“Yes, Sir.” I turn and head for the hanger. I have a locker near to it so I can grab some things on the way.

I get ready fast and head to the hanger. There are 5 separate teams getting ready and I try not to show my worry. Five teams to take on MY TEAM. My jaw clenches and I let it relax. 

There is no time to get to a phone and send a signal to Hunter or Coulson. I’m gonna have to play this by ear and hope it all goes well.

Once on a quinjet one of the guys on the team lets me know they’re already tracking Raina and she’s flying south heading toward Florida. Another Hydra sleeper in SHIELD has showed them what to look for.

We aren’t too far from Florida and should catch up to them to get onboard.

I sit perfectly still trying not to think about what can and cannot happen. There are too many variables. I have no idea who’s onboard or what they know.

“Sir, Mr Whitehall would like you to retrieve Raina. He is connecting to the SHIELD jet and letting them know we’re sending someone. Are you ready?”

I don’t acknowledge him as I stand up and make my way to the door. Our jet is already approaching and connecting with SHIELD’s. I gather my strength and make my way down.

The first person I hear is May. She’s not going to let Raina off the plane. Tripp is wondering how they were found.

Might as well let them know it’s me. Maybe May won’t shoot me. “Raina’s tracker.” I spoke loudly. “Old frequency SHIELD used during the Cold War. What can I say. I’m a history buff.”

Tripp, Hunter, May, Skye and two men that look exactly like Eric Koenig all have their guns pointed at me. What the hell? I didn’t know Eric was a triplet. Scary as shit though they all look exactly alike.

“Lower your weapons.”

May shoots Skye a quick glance and looks back to me.

“Anyone shoots, the plane goes down. We all die.” I try not to look at Skye.

Her eyes aren’t full of hate or anger like I’d expect, so I avoid her. 

“Maybe it’s worth it.” May says.

“Let’s not get carried away just yet.” Hunter pipes in.

“First,” Skye starts to speak and I unwillingly look to her, “you gave us Bakshi. Now you’re back with Hydra. Pick a side, Ward.”

I look at her evenly. “Oh, I have. Don’t worry.” I turn away from her before I say something stupid and tell Raina, “Lets go.”

“With pleasure.” Raina walks over to me and smiles, like she’s getting just what she wants.

Now, how to save the rest of them after I get of the damn plane. I make a decision quickly and take a shot of cutting them a deal. I can get Skye to safety, get her to meet Cal and maybe keep the team from getting blown up. Well, at least till Whitehall gets a call about what I did and orders them to be shot out of the sky but it’s enough time for May to get behind the wheel and get them to safety.

“You, too.” I tell Skye.

May gives me a look and then turns to Skye. She has to know I’m trying to protect Skye.

“What?” Skye asks confuse.

“I made you a promise, Skye. I’m here to keep it. You’re coming with us.”

“The hell she is. She’s not going anywhere.” May says calmly but I can see that she’s not going to shoot me.

“May.” Skye sounds like she’s calling May off. “May, if I don’t go with him, he’s going to blow this plane to pieces.”

“They’re Hydra. They’ll do it anyway.” Tripp looks to Skye. “You can’t trust him, Skye,” he urges.

I searched Tripp’s face. Is he crushing on my girl?

I turn back to Skye, “Yes, you can. Skye, look at me.”

“Don’t talk to her.” May’s gun raises a little to my face.

“Skye, I give you my word—come with me, we won’t fire a single shot. Everyone gets our alive.”

“Good one. Is that what you told my brother, before you killed him?” I frown at one of Eric’s brothers. I look at him closely and then look at the other one.

“How many of you are there?”

“Skye…you can’t.” May warns Skye one last time.

“There’s no other way. You know that.” Skye lowers her gun and looks directly at May, “Whatever happens, I can handle myself.”

May gives Skye a little nod and I’m touched that May has grown so close to Skye. It’s clear that May is worried about her.

May looks at me and gives me a look of, “don’t touch a hair on that girl’s head.” She’s trusting me to keep her safe. I throw her a quick look above to the cockpit with my eyes, letting her know to get up there as soon as possible.

Skye walks slowly to me. She missed my look with May as she was looking at Raina. But now as she is right next to me she turns and sees me reach my hand out for her gun.

“Oh, Skye, don’t forget your tablet. You know, the one with the map of the city on it.”

Fucking, Raina!

If looks could kill. Skye turns to grab the tablet and shoots Raina a death stare.

I follow both woman up slowly.

“I swear to God, Raina.” I hear Skye threaten.

“What Skye?” Raina turns once on deck.

The men all get back to positions.

“Nobody fire on that aircraft. Let’s go. We got what we came for.” I command.

I grab Raina by her arm and yank her to a seat. “Sit down and shut up, will you?”

She gives me an angry look and yanks her arm away.

I see some men hesitate. “I said let’s go.”

“Sir,” one man dared to speak, “we’re not shooting.”

“No, she’s out insurance policy,” I point at Skye and then at Raine, “and she’s the mission. Let’s go. I won’t say it again.”

All the men scramble around.

Skye gives me a confused look so I just ignore it.

I see one of the men pick up his phone. No doubt contacting Whitehall.

I start walking away to find a seat when one of the men walks behind me to grab Skye and starts to drag her.

My blood boils and I act out of instinct.

I drag him off her and start wailing on him. It only takes about 4 punches before I realize what I’m doing and drop him on the floor.

“Don’t touch her again, do you hear me?” I pull him close to my face so he can see the threat in my eyes.

He nods and I drop him back on the floor.

“Nobody touches her.” I shake blood off my hand and walk away, not bothering to look at anyone’s reaction.

A few minuets later an agent approaches me. He’s scared shitless.

“What?” I say with an irritated tone.

“Sir, Mr. Whitehall has ordered for us to shoot the plane.”

“If that’s what he wants then do it.”


	10. Chapter 10:  The Difference Between Kara and Skye

I ignored Skye for the remainder of the trip. No agent even goes near her and I know it’s because they know I’ll probably kill them.

Raina is talking my ear off about this so-called city. She won’t shut up. I tell her I don’t care for the millionth time. She rolls her eyes and keeps talking.

She’s on repeat, about how their true nature will be shown and how only the worthy can go down there. She looks at me and makes a comment about how maybe someone’s true nature will reveal itself and we can be together.

I ask where we’re headed and told we’re headed to San Juan. I hope Cal is there and ask if he is and they tell me he’s around. He’s being kept in a room downstairs until he’s needed. I make sure I get the exact location of said room before I start pacing. I know Whitehall will be there when we arrive. I just hope Cal is close because I can’t take on all the men to keep Skye safe. I hadn’t thought it through enough. She was safe off of the SHIELD jet but I hadn’t thought of what would happen to her once we got to Whitehall.

We arrive and make our way into an old abandoned theater.

The men usher Raina to off immediately. I finally look to Skye. She’s eyeing me suspiciously again.

I gesture for her to walk and follow her closely.

I’m impressed as soon as she starts checking her surroundings. May’s done a good job as her S.O. Maybe better than me, but then again, Skye has reason to commit 100% now, where as she hadn’t before.

“Checking exits, number of men, weapons inventory. I’m impressed. How’s your marksmanship?” I can’t help but slide my hand onto her arm.

“I don’t know. Hand me your side arm. Let’s find out.” She answers with snark and I can’t help but smile. I laugh internally.

“Cool under pressure. I see May’s teaching you control.”

“That’s one of our differences. In SHIELD, they teach you to control yourself. Hydra wants to control everyone else.” She turns to me on that last part.

I shrug. “You’re not wrong. Come on. I’m not loyal to Hydra. My orders were to collect Raina but bringing you along was my idea.”

“Maybe you don’t remember but we’ve played this game of “let’s kidnap Skye” before, and it didn’t end well for you.” She’s serious now and threatening me.

“That’s not my concern. Here.” I grab her hands and cut her loose from her bonds.

She winces and rubs at her wrists and just for a second before I can stop myself I’m mimicking with my hands on her wrists.

She gives me a look and pulls her hands away and I pull back from her a bit. 

“Really? Then what is?”

I walk behind her to get the door. I turn back to her and tell her, “to keep my promise.”

I enter the room and see Cal sitting alone. I nod a hello and leave the door open for Skye to come through.

Cal sees Skye and stands slowly, probably trying not to scare her.

Skye comes in slowly as well. She looks like she’s at a loss for words and I can’t help but smile. She’s finally meeting her father.

Neither of them say anything. Cal is looking at Skye like he’s looking at the sun for the first time and Skye is looking at him utterly lost. Love and sadness shine in her eyes.

“I’m sure you two have a lot of catching up to do.” I say softly.

“Thank you, Grant.” Cal gives me a grateful smile.

I smile back and as I’m walking out of the door, Skye looks at me. I see a thanks in her eyes too and I exit the room. 

I know Coulson will be pissed at me. One, for taking Skye and two, because he doesn’t want her anywhere near Cal. But that’s no his call. Cal deserve a chance to make things right with Skye and if she doesn’t want any part of him, so be it. But that is also her call.

I go looking for Raina to get some answers and try to find where the hell Whitehall is keeping the diviner. At the very least I have to take it from them and hide it before I can get it to Coulson. That thing sounds like bad news.

As much as I look, I can’t find her and none of the men are telling me where she is. My time with Whitehall seems to be ending. He doesn’t trust me because I took Skye but who cares, I can take him out without damaging my cover.

Thank God I’m alone because I notice the watch on my hand begin to glow red. I’m surprised and bring it up to my face. Fitz left me this watch. I squint to make out the word right underneath the color. CLOSE.

Yes! They’re almost here. I have to get Skye back to Coulson and get rid of Whitehall.

I start making my way back to Cal and Skye and find Cal with armed men.

“What’s going on?” I ask the men and turn to Cal, “where’s Skye?”

“Back in the room. I was called away.” Cal nods behind me and I see Raina coming our way with guards trailing her.

“He requested our presence.” Cal mutters to me.

Raina arrives before Whitehall so I stay quiet and wait for him to tell us what is going on. He seems pleased with himself.

“Well, well. We’re here today in part because of the three of you.” He stops before us. “You delivered Raina as you promised.” Whitehall turns from me to Raina, “And I had my doubts about you, young lady, but you are slowly earning my trust.”

I sneer. It makes me sick that Raina looks so pleased with herself.

“And your knowledge of the diviner,” Whitehall is now talking to Cal, “has led us to this…historic moment. For that, I offer my gratitude.”

He turns away from us with his finger in the air. “I have just one question. How does she fit in?”

My back gets straighter as I see 2 men bringing Skye to us. I try to stay calm. “I needed insurance that SHIELD wouldn’t blow us out of the sky.” I explain in an even voice.

“But you also ordered the SHIELD plane shouldn’t be shot down. I had to counter that order myself.” He tells me and all I can do is roll my eyes and shrug.

I stay quiet as I know he’s not done talking. He likes to listen to himself talk, so I let him go on. “I have a theory to why she’s here.” He turns to Kara and she steps forward with a case. 

Kara opens the case and inside is the diviner. She makes sure we can all see it.

“I’d like you to pick it up.” Whitehall instructs Skye.

“You first.” She says in a typical Skye fashion.

I might have smiled if I didn’t hear all the guns cocked around us. Come on, Coulson. Where are you guys?

Cal nods at Skye to do it.

Is he crazy? Dammit. Maybe Coulson was right about the guy.

I inch my hand to my gun and see Cal has a scalpel. Alright then.

With a determined and an angry look, Skye lunges toward the diviner. She picks it up and nothing happens and then it glows orange symbols. I recognize them immediately as the same Garrett was carving.

Skye turns quickly and shoves the diviners into one of the men’s neck. At the same time, Cal stabs someone with his scalpel and I aim my gun at one of the men.

Kara is quick to lift her gun at Skye, so I turn my gun from the man to Kara. I don’t want to shoot her but I will. 

Whitehall steps towards Skye and I follow him in step. “I hope you’re as special as your mother.”

Raina loses no time to step forward and take the diviner from Skye. I drop my gun reluctantly and Cal drops the scalpel.

“I’ll confess—I didn’t recognize you when you first barged into my office.” Whitehall steps towards Cal.

“If my daughter wasn’t here…” Cal threatens, “I would tear you and your men to pieces.”

“I’ll add that to the number of reasons that I’m glad she’s here.” Whitehall smiles at Cal and turns to me, “And you are the piece of the puzzle that I can’t decipher. Why are you really here?”

I open my mouth to spew more lies but Raina beats me to the punch, “Is it really that hard to see? It’s love.” Raina turns to Skye and so do I. “Agent Ward believes if he helps Skye fulfill her destiny, she’ll see him for who he really is.”

Skye and I look at each other. It’s not the real reason I’m here but it is part of the reason and I can’t hide that last part from my eyes. Skye’s eyes are full of unshed tears but I don’t see hatred in them like I usually do. I see acceptance, though I don’t know what she’s accepting.

“It’s a pity that you won’t get to fulfill that destiny, or that after all these years, you won’t get your revenge for what I did to your wife.” Whitehall gives a signal and someone knocks Cal out.

“Secure him.” Whitehall motions to me and the men move quickly. “Remain alert around Agent Ward. He’s a trained killer—one of the best. I have a feeling that, in time, I can make you comply.”

I want to punch the smile off his face. And as I look at him, I grin because I’m going to kill Whitehall myself.

The men drag Skye out before they drag me and I watch carefully so I won’t forget who put their hands on her. They’ll die too.

They drag us into a kitchen. They tie me up to a chair and drag Cal’s body in. Whitehall has Kara keep an eye on us. Smart. None of the other men have her skillset. They’re all practically rookies compared to her.

She watches me for a long time. She looks disappointed.

“You could have been a great asset to him. And you turn your back on him…for them.” She doesn’t get it, even after hearing that I love Skye.

“He does that a lot. You get used to it.” Skye calls out to us. She’s tied to a chair with her hands tied behind her back.

I lazily look to her and smile. When she glares at me, I turn back to Kara.

“She’s still mad at me. I’m hoping she’ll forgive me someday.” I have to keep her distracted because Coulson has to be close by now and I know Skye’s trying to get herself loose.

“Keep dreaming.” Skye says leaning back in her chair.

Kara looks from me to Skye and back again.

“The woman you look like—agent May? I knew her. How did you end up with her face?”

“Serving Dr. Whitehall.”

“That’s got to be an interesting story. Doesn’t it bother you?”

“I didn’t have a purpose before. I was lost. Now, I’m happy to comply.”

“So, you’re loyal to Hydra.”

That seems to piss her off. “I’m loyal to Dr. Whitehall.”

“There was a guy I used to be loyal to. He went completely insane.”

Kara raises her gun to me. “Not another word.”

“Happy to comply.” I say as I hear Cal waking up.

“Did he hurt you?” Cal asks Skye and I see her shake her head.

Whitehall walks in just then. “Oh good. You’re awake.”

“I’ve waited years for this.” Cal begins to move toward Whitehall but stops midstride. Whitehall is holding up a device and I see him push a button as Cal goes down.

When the hell did they put that on him?

For a moment I think they’re going to shoot Cal and I struggle to look closer at what they’re doing. Kara steps and point the gun at me again.

“Do you know what your mother’s special gift was?” Whitehall is near Skye now. 

Coulson! Where the hell are you?!

“No.” Skye answers with venom in her voice.

“She didn’t age. At least not like the rest of us. I wonder if that’s your gift, as well, or if you’re special in another way. Discovery requires experimentation. I killed your wife and before I kill you, I want you to watch what I do to your daughter.”

I struggle to contain my anger and flex my arm to try to get it off this damn bind. Just then, there are gun shots and Kara and Whitehall hurry out of the room.

The team is here.

Only one man stays in the kitchen with us. It’s going to be easy to take him out.

More gun shots and I stay where I am. Cal is regaining his strength. He needs a little more time.

“Hey.” I call out to the guard. He turns to me. “You hear that? They’re coming for us. I saw how many guys you have on your side. You are sorely outnumbered, my friend. Tell you what. Let me go now. I’ll tell them to take it easy on you. Maybe cut off an ear, pop an eye.”

The guard has come closer to me. He’s pissed. “Shut up.”

“Just trying to be helpful. I’m a lot nicer than he’s gonna be.”

Cal sticks the device on the man and grabs him by the back and lifts him, essentially breaking his neck and dropping him at my feet.

“You’re welcome. Now, lets get out of here.”

“Yea, me too!” Skye calls out. “Come on!”

“It’s safer here and I’m about to do something to Whitehall. I don’t want you to see me like that.” Cal calls out to Skye and starts to leave.

“I don’t mind…seeing.” I admit and Cal turns back to me. “Hell, I’m happy to help.”

“No. I get to do this myself.”

“What?! Hey!” Skye is not having it and struggles in her chair.

Before Cal completely disappears, he turns back and says, “take care of my daughter.”

I roll my eyes and I struggle to get out of the chair. With some skill, I manage to come lose just in time for another guard to turn the corner and see us. He comes at me like an idiot. Even with my legs still bound, I easily take him down.

I grab the knight strapped on my foot and cut myself lose.

I go straight to Skye, who’s still trying to get lose and make a mental note to have May work with her on these skills.

“I’m sorry your little family reunion didn’t go as planned.” I apologize as I crouch to cut the binds around her ankles. I don’t need balance but I still lay my hand on her leg. She searches my eyes. I don’t know what she’s looking for but I block emotion from my eyes. I may have just reunited her with her father but to her, I’m still a traitor. “The least I can do it get your out of here.” I stand and cut the bind on her wrists.

I move fast toward the door. “Sit down while I check the door.” Of course, she doesn’t listen because I hear her right behind me.

I shake my head as I look to see if we’re clear.

I look back just in time to see Skye pointing a gun at me. I freeze in shock. Before I can move she shoots twice and she has tears in her eyes. I feel the shots in my gut on the right side. I blink in pain and look up at her.

“Never turn your back,” she’s sniffs as she walks up to me, “on the enemy. You taught me that.” Her tears are falling freely now. She points the gun at me again and I can see her hand shaking. She’s going to finish the job.

“Skye.” I manage weakly. I know I’m losing too much blood.

Her lips trembled as a gut-wrenching sob escaped her lips. She drops the gun and runs.

I looked around for something to stop the bleeding but I couldn’t move. It was becoming hard to do much. Goddamn she has good aim.

Did I just compliment her for shooting me? Was there nothing she could do to get me to hate her. She’d done it out of self-defense. For all she knew, I was till Hydra and would turn on them eventually. I am still very dangerous in her eyes.

How am I gonna get out of here? I need to get Coulson, Fitz or Hunter.

I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting. And I’m close to passing out when someone gently turns me. At least I know they’re not gonna hurt me. Nobody is gentle when they mean you harm.

I finally see it’s Kara. She’s crying and she’s afraid but I can’t say anything. I’m almost unconscious. She grabs me by the arms and starts to drag me. “Whitehall’s dead. Coulson killed him.”

I don’t know what to say to that, at least not to her because I’m happy he’s head.

She drops me and finds an old cart and wheels it to me. “Get up. Come on, help me.” She helps me up and I’m laid sideways on it. She pushes me out of the building through the back and opens a car door. It’s easy for her to back me up to a seat and pushes me back on it.

“You’re free.” I tell her before I start to pass out.

“I don’t know what to do,” I hear her say before everything goes black.

I’m slow to wake up. I try to catch my bearings. Nothing in the room looks familiar. I’m in a bedroom with not much furniture. There’s some light coming in from the window but the sun doesn’t look like it’s completely up yet.

I try to sit up and wince. I pull off the sheet and find I’m only in my boxers. I have stiches on my right side and I remember being shot…by Skye.

I take a deep breath and manage to sit up some. I also notice that I have an I.V. in my arm. “Fuck.” How long was I out?

I take the I.V. off and search the room for clothes. I’m surprised to find my bag on a chair, near the window.

As I reach it, the door bursts open. I grab my gun and aim at the intruder.

It’s Kara. Her hands are in the air. “Sorry, I heard you moving in here. I thought you might want something to eat.” She says softly and I see she’s holding a tray.

I lower my gun slowly. I’m kind of winded and I start to feel dizzy.

Kara puts the tray down on the small table by the door and runs to me. “You shouldn’t be out of bed. You lost a lot of blood and just because the bullet missed your major organs doesn’t mean you get to walk around.”

I let her guide me to the bed and take another deep breath, “Kara, how long was I out? And where did you get my bag?”

“I took the bullet out. The first pierced your vest and the second made it in. I took the bullet out and patched you up. I got us to a jet and back to base and took some medical supplies and the bag you had in your room. Then I brought you here.”

“Where is here?” I asked impatiently.

“A safe house.”

“How long have I been out?”

She was silent for a moment. “You were out for about a week. I kept you under for a while to be safe,” she admits.

“Thank you.” I finally sit back on the bed and she hooks me back to the I.V. She turns to retrieve my food.

“Kara, did you look through my bag?” I don’t mean to sound threatening or mean but Fitz’s things are in there. 

She hands me the tray as she shakes her head. She’s frightened. “No.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

“Thank you. I just have things that mean a lot to me.” I explain and she nods. “Why did you save me?” I’m dying to know.

“I—I don’t have anyone. You don’t have anyone. I figured we could help each other.” A single tear makes it down her face.

Whitehall really did a number on her. I nod because I don’t know what to say. I look down at my tray and find soup, Jell-O and a Pedialyte. 

I start to eat and she watches me. She gets up when I’m done and removes the tray. She gives me a small smile before she exits the room.

I’m very tired and lay back on the bed and before I know it, I’m out again.

The next day or so pass about the same. Kara comes in the room to talk and we pass the time playing cards. She seems lost without Whitehall.

On the third day of this, Kara said she was going out to get supplies, so I took the chance to get to my bag. I found the phone at the bottom of my bag. The battery was low but not too bad which takes me by surprise. But then again this was given to me by Fitz. He probably fixed the phone to run longer than any normal device.

I unlock the phone with my fingerprint and the voice recognition software. I have missed calls. All from my Fitz, Hunter, Coulson and even Andrew. Before I call them or report, I listen to the 4 messages that I have.

“Ward, please call back.” It’s Fitz. “We just want to know that you’re ok. OK? Tripp, he didn’t,” he sniffs, “he didn’t make it.” I almost drop the phone. I never spent too much time with Tripp or even really knew him, but I’m sorry that he’s gone. This is a huge blow for the team. Tripp is everything that Coulson believes SHIELD stands for. He must be taking it hard.

I collect myself, remembering that Kara won’t be long. “Ward?” It’s Fitz again. “Ward? Come on, you have to pick up. Skye just woke up.” Woke up?! Woke up from what?! “She told us what she did. Ward, pick up. I swear I’ll tell her what you’ve been doing if you don’t answer the next time I call you. I—” I can hear someone in the background, “to Ward, Sir. I’m leaving him a message,” more mumbling, “she shot him. He might be dying or dead and we’re lying to her. How do you think she’s going to feel when she finds—” the voicemail ended.

“Shit!” I go to the next message.

“Hey, mate. Fitz is losing it. Call us back, will you. Be safe out there.” Hunter’s message is brief but he sounds concerned for me.

“Agent Ward,” it’s Coulson, he takes a deep breath, “call as soon as you can. We want to make sure you’re ok. Do you need an extraction? Tell us where you are and we will pick you up. Skye, she—there was an accident. She’s ok but we can’t keep lying to her. You’re done. You can come back to the team and fight Hydra another way. Just—I’m sorry we didn’t tell her sooner. She might not forgive me now. I hope you’re ok. Before the accident, I saw her briefly…she was crying. I think—I think it was because of you. I think she was sorry. I’ll wait for your call.”

That’s it, all the messages. I hope Skye is fine but I can’t go back now. Whitehall is dead which means Hydra will be scrambling. I can head it and bring it down. It doesn’t matter that Skye shot me. I’m fine. And ok it hurts that she hates me that much but I can’t blame her. She did what she was taught to do. But I realize that I’m wrong. She didn’t do was she was taught to do. She should have killed me but she hadn’t.

I pick up the phone and dial Coulson’s number.

“Ward.” Coulson answers immediately. He sounds relieved but his voice strained. “Thank God. Where are you? We can have you extracted immediately. Are you ok?”

“Sir, I’m ok.”

“Where are you? How did you get out?”

“Raina got me out. She took Whitehall’s jet. We’re at a safe house. No clue where.” 

“No, problem. I can get Fitz to trace your location.”

“Sir, I don’t have a lot of time. Raina just stepped out to get some supplies.”

“Is she the only one with you?”

“Yes, sir. But I’d like to stay undercover.”

Coulson is silent. “Out of the question, Ward. Whitehall is dead. You can come back to base and help us bring is down while they look for a new head. You don’t need to stay there.”

“Sir, now more than ever, Hydra will be on alert. They know how to keep people close in times like this. It’s a perfect time for me to get in and do some damage. I need some time to get back to 100% but I know I can do this.” I take a deep breath and finally ask what I need to know, “What happened to Skye? How is she?”

“She’s alive. Agent Simmons is back and checked on her. She was in quarantine for a while but she’s out now. She’s back training with May. She’s taking Tripp’s death pretty hard. She made it to the temple with Raina. Tripp was able to stop whatever event that obelisk started but died doing it. Skye was hit with something but wasn’t affected. She was out of it for a while. She asked to see me as soon as she was awake and told me about Tripp.” Coulson can’t hide the pain in his voice. He clears it and continues, “We hadn’t heard from you. I had everyone search the facility. So, I asked Skye if she’d seen you and she told me what she’d done.”

I feel the pain where the bullet hit, as well as in the pit of my stomach. The love of my life had shot me and I couldn’t find it in me to hate her or even be mad at her. It just hurt.

“Ward, I have to tell her. I think, because of how she sees you—how they all see you, she wanted you dead. But she couldn’t do it.”

“Skye doesn’t have it in her to kill anyone.” My voice is thick and it breaks there in the end.

“No. It was because it was you, Ward. If you want to stay undercover, that’s fine but I have to tell the team. I have to make sure nobody else tries to kill you. This is getting ridiculous. There’s no reason for you to be getting shot by your own team.”

I thought about it and I couldn’t. Not now after Skye had shot me. Soon maybe. “Sir, you call the shots here but I beg you not to do it. At least, not Skye. She’s gone through enough. It sounds like she witnessed Tripp’s death. I don’t want her to feel guilty for shooting me too. She will. I bet she blames herself for Tripp. This won’t help. If she feels horrible now, what do you think she’ll feel once she knows I’ve been with SHIELD since before John’s death. You can’t tell her. Please. At least not now.”

Coulson exhales loudly as he thinks about what I’ve just said.

“Fine. Call Fitz or Hunter as soon as you can so that they can drop off whatever you might need. We can’t keep you undercover for too long. You got that. Only a couple of months. Then, no matter what, we pull you out.”

I nod. “Ok. And Coulson, do you think Andrew could work with Kara? She doesn’t know she was brainwashed by Hydra. She’s lost without Whitehall. That can be dangerous. I can’t play mother hen. I might say something wrong and fuck her up even more.”

“I’ll have him contact you and tell him the situation. Do you need anything? You never said how you were.”

“I’m ok. I’m not feeling great but I’m getting my strength back. I’m not going to die.” It could have been so much worse. Thank God for Kara.

“Talk to you soon, Agent Ward.”

“Goodbye, Sir.”

Kara walks in the room, her gun raised. “Who did you call?”

I raised my hands and move slowly, putting my phone on the bed. “Wow. Calm down. It was nobody. It was my doctor.”

“Doctor?” She squints and moves closer. “What doctor?”

I let out a groan and pretend I’m admitting something painful, “I started seeing a therapist.”

“A therapist?”

“Will you stop repeating everything I’m saying?” I lower my hands because her face tells me that she’s not going to shoot. “Yes, I have a therapist. I was brainwashed by a man named John Garrett. I respected him. He was my mentor and kind of like a father to me. He recruited me for Hydra and had me go undercover at SHIELD. I became close to my team. They were my family but I owed everything to John. So, I stabbed them all in the back. He wanted me to kill the woman that I love and didn’t care. SHIELD killed him and took me hostage. I escaped when they were transferring me to my brother who did nothing but abuse me as a child. I was fucked up for a long time. Dr. Garner helped me.” I honestly didn’t mean to give her all of that but I figure it can’t hurt. If I want Andrew to help her then I might as well plant the seed of him in her head.

Kara drops her gun. “I’m sorry about your—John.”

I shrug. “Maybe Andrew can help you with the loss of Whitehall.”

She snaps. “I wasn’t brainwashed!”

My hands automatically go up. “I never said you were. But I know how you felt about him. Andrew is a therapist. He knows how to help with loss.”

Kara nods slowly and drops the gun again.

My phone buzzes but I ignore it.

I finally leave the room with Kara and help her make something to eat. Nothing grand. We make beef stew with vegetables.

That night I check my phone and see I have another voicemail from Fitz.

“Ward. Coulson said you’d checked in. I’m glad you’re ok. Listen,” he says but his voice is shaking, “there’s something—something wrong with Skye. I don’t—can’t tell them, the team. I covered for her. I’ll take care of her. Protect her. She’s different. I thought you’d like to know.” That was it. 

What the hell does he mean by different? Why does he need to protect her?


	11. Chapter 11:  The Journey with Kara

My phone buzzes and I recognize Hunter’s number. I roll my eyes and answer. Kara’s gone out again but didn’t tell me why.

“Ward, you haven’t called.”

Every time I hear Hunter, I get the urge to roll my eyes. “Didn’t need to. I don’t need anything at the moment.”

“Alright. Are you warming up to Agent 33 then? I hear you shagged May, so I guess a woman who has her face even if one side is—”

“Hunter, shut up. It’s not like that. What do you want?” He really is irritating if I don’t shut him up.

“Calm down, mate. I was only joking. Listen, ah…I need to talk to someone but I can’t talk to anyone here.”

I sit up, interested. “Alright. What’s up?”

“So, Bob…she—well, you’ve been gone and well—”

“You’re sleeping with her,” I interrupt, “go on.”

“What? Who told you? Was it Fitz. He can’t keep his—”

“Nobody told me Hunter. I know enough about you and Bobby. And from what you’ve told me, I expected things to repeat themselves.”

Hunter’s quiet for a moment. “Well…right then. See, she’s keeping secrets. Which is why I can never trust her. And I want to think that it has nothing to do with me but her and Mack have been acting strangely and going off. They whisper. I have this gnawing in my stomach. It usually happens right before she turns back into a monster.”

I think about what he’s saying. All agents have secrets. On one hand, it can just be Hunter sabotaging the relationship but somehow, the way Hunter is explaining it, I don’t feel good about it either.

“You have no idea what the secret may be?” I ask.

“No. Coulson asked me to stay permanently now that he’s lost Tripp and I thought Mack and Bob would have been happy but they both looked like didn’t want me anywhere near here. She was hiding a flash drive me from me a while ago. I’m going to do some digging. That’s where you come in.”

“Me? What can I do?”

“I’m going to talk to one of them about it. Mack maybe. He sucks at lying. If you don’t hear from me, then you have to talk to Coulson. It makes me sick to say this but if I’m right, he can’t trust either of them.”

“Hunter, you need to talk to Coulson now. Don’t wait. If they’re up to something, he should know. Don’t do it alone. That’s a disaster waiting to happen, you hear me? Do you think they’re Hydra?”

“What? No. Bob is too loyal to SHIELD but they’re not loyal to Coulson. Mack is outright going against him. Look, we had a crazy day. I—what the hell?”

I can hear a lot of noise in the background and Hunter curses. “What’s going on Hunter?”

“It’s an earthquake. I’ve never felt one before. It’s getting bigger. Fitz! Fitz! What’s going on?”

Again, all I hear is noise and shuffling. I wait. Now that I’m paying attention, I can hear things falling on what I believe may be the floor.

“Fitz! What the bloody hell?!”

“I have to get to Skye!” Fitz had to have yelled it for me to hear.

“Ward, I’ll call you back.”

“Hunter, take care of Skye. Make sure she’s ok.”

“Yeah. Yeah. I’ll call you back.” Hunter sounds distracted and winded.

The line goes dead. I run my hand through my hair. Dammit! I hate not being there. What the hell is going on? But this was on me. I could be there right now. Coulson wanted me there. And I still feel so damn guilty over everything that happened that I can’t stand being there. I can’t show my face until I’ve made things right and I’ve done nothing so far. Nothing.

I’ll call Fitz or Hunter later. Let them deal with whatever the hell is going on. Hunter and Fitz won’t let anything happen to Skye.

I don’t hear the phone that evening but I do hear the notification that I have a new message. Kara is back. I don’t ask her where she went and she doesn’t tell me.

I pick up the phone and listen to the voicemail, “I’m doing it. I’m confronting Mack. Give me a couple of hours, if you don’t hear back from me by morning, call Coulson. I heard him and Bob says something about calling for backup. Not our backup. Which means they’re working for someone. Oh, and call Fitz. Skye is…well, she’s going through something.” My blood runs cold. As much as I’m nervous and worried for Skye, I’m equally worried for Hunter. I don’t think that I can wait till morning.

“I need to make a call.” I tell her as a I head into the bedroom and dial Hunter’s number. It rings and rings and I give up. I call Fitz.

“Ward. Finally.” He seems out of breath. He’s agitated.

“Fitz, talk to me. What’s going on?” I sound pissed and not worried like I really am.

Fitz sighs and the way he does it, makes me think he feels defeated. “They all found out.” He finally says and I don’t have a clue about what he means but it’s Fitz so I try to be patient. “I’m sorry, Ward. I thought I could help her hide it. But Lady Sif came and some Kree and Skye freaked out. And now everyone knows and the way they’re acting…” and now he’s getting angry.

“Fitz. Slow down. What happened with Skye? What were you trying to keep secret?” I’m pacing and ignore the pain coming from my side.

“She—she turned. With Raina…in the tunnel. Skye is different now. She—she can make the room shake. Like an earthquake. She can create them. But she was scared and the way Simmons was acting—the way they were all acting.” Fitz lets go of an angry growl. “She’s sleeping on the bus. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone. So, she locked herself in the cage. But they’re all hurting her with the crap they’re saying.” Fitz is rambling and I’m trying to digest what he’s just said.

Skye has powers now. She changed. She’s probably freaking out. My heart breaks for her. I know Skye. I know all the pressure she puts on herself. This must be tearing her up inside.

“She shot herself with an icer because she couldn’t control it so Lady Sif said Skye could stay but nobody is focusing on that. On the fact that she—she um…iced herself. She’s Skye. She would never hurt us and the way they’re talking about her. They way they talk about her now. It’s like it’s not even Skye anymore.” Fitz is still rambling and I’m going to interrupt him but it’s at this precise moment that I realize he’s not mumbling as much. He sounds more like the old Fitz.

“Fitz—”

“I’m sorry, Ward. I told you that I’d protect her.” He apologizes and I roll my eyes.

“Fitz, this isn’t on you. Skye won’t know how to control her powers. She just got them. But there is something you can do for me. She’s blaming herself right now, for a number of reasons that are out of her control. Please go see her Fitz. Tell her that you know who she is and that you know she would never hurt you. Reassure her. Tell her that you know who she is and no matter what happens that will never change. She might have changed internally but she will always be Skye. Tell her not to hold that inside or hate herself for it. She is strong. This won’t change her at least not for the worst. It might be for the better. Screw everyone else, Fitz. If they can’t or won’t be there for her, then you do it.” By the end of my speech, I’m breathless and angry. I finally take a seat. I have sweat coming down the side of my face.

“Yea. Yea. I can do that.” Fitz sounds calmer. “When are you coming back? Coulson didn’t say.” He’s trying to change the subject to a little something lighter but he’s going to be angry again once he finds out.

“I’m not coming back, Fitz.”

It takes a second and then, “Are you crazy? What in the hell do you mean you’re not coming back? Whitehall is dead. You have to come back here and talk to Skye. All this lying has to end. I’m sick of people talking about you like you’re a piece of trash and May, Hunter and Coulson just stay quiet or leave the room. They need to know and Hunter agrees with me.”

“Fitz, I’m sorry you’re in this position. I shouldn’t have told you. Listen, I have to stay and finish what I started. I think I can finish Hydra for good. OK? Now, I need you to do something for me. Hunter is doing something.” My jaw flexes involuntarily. Stupid, Hunter. “It’s something he shouldn’t be doing. I need you to keep an eye on him tonight. Don’t let anyone know you’re keeping an eye on him either. Talk to him as soon as you see him and tell him to call me. If you can’t find him, you go straight to Coulson and have him call me.”

 

“Is everything alright?”

“I hope so. I’m just taking precautions. Can you do this, Fitz?”

“Yea, I’ll go find him now.”

I nod. “Thanks, Fitz.”

“I don’t agree with what you’re doing. You should tell Skye.” Fitz tries again and it sounds like he’s trying to lecture a child.

“She has enough on her plate for now. Thanks, Fitz.” I hand up the phone and make my way back out of the room.

Kara raises an eyebrow at me but doesn’t ask about the call.

“We have to move. Maybe tomorrow. We’ve been here too long. Someone might come to check the place out. I don’t want Hydra finding us.” She doesn’t look up from what she’s cooking.

“You don’t want them to find us. Why not?”

“I told you. I’m not loyal to Hydra. I want to be free and live my life.” She grabs two plates and starts serving us.

“Fine. I’ll be ready to leave by morning. We’re going to need a new car.” I sit and she nods her agreement.

She looks like she wants to say something but hesitates.

“What is it, Kara?”

She clears her throat and looks to me. “One of the men that created this….” She gestures to her face, “he’s going to be near hear tomorrow. I wanted to see if you could help me convince him to take it off.”

I know what she means by help. But I can’t fault her, having someone else’s face and having to look at it every day. Her mind is so fried with what Whitehall did and that face doesn’t help.

“We’re partners, aren’t we?” I smile and hers is slow but matches mine.

“Great. Let’s get some sleep.” 

I don’t have much, some shirts, a couple of pants and a few gadgets. I’d stored all my emergency cash at various locations before I’d joined Whitehall. I’d have to stop by and grab some to help us along.

The next morning, Kara and I were on our way in the early morning hours. She dumped the car and stole one. We drove it a state over and stole some plates to swap them out. I keep looking at my phone and I’m getting anxious because neither Fitz or Hunter have called me. 

We stop at another safe house and we get down to business. I ask Kara about who we’re meeting and what he did for Hydra.

She tells me that we’re not actually meeting him but knows where he’s going to be. I sigh but know I owe her for saving my life, so I go along with her plan.

It goes smoothly. She knew the place he’d be and it doesn’t take much to convince him to help. The only down side is that she’s stuck with the mask on her face. She can now change it but she can’t see her own face underneath it.

It takes a long time but I convince her to let him go without killing him and I make sure he knows not to say anything to anybody about what’s happened. He thinks I’ll kill him if he says anything.

“Hey, It’s not that bad.” I try to cheer her up because she’s been looking at magazines for hours and has been changing her face every couple of minutes.

“I want to be me!” She cries.

“I know. I’m sorry. I know.” I think about what to say or do. “Look, maybe...maybe I can contact a mercenary I know. He’s done things for SHIELD before. Maybe he can get in and get a picture of you. Maybe he can get us your file.”

She turns to me quickly with an excited look on her face. “Do you think it’s possible?”

I smile at the excitement and happiness on her face. I nod, “Yea, I’ll see what he can do. OK?”

I curse when I see a message from Fitz. “Ward, I’m sorry. I’ve been looking for Hunter. I can’t find him. And when I asked Coulson, he says Mack told him that Hunter took off. And now, I can’t find Coulson.”

“Dammit.” I hang up and call Coulson. He doesn’t answer. I call Fitz and hopes he answers.

Fitz answers right away, “Ward, hey. I can’t find Hunter. I asked Bobbi and Mack and both of them say Hunter ditched us and that he may not be coming back soon. Do you know what’s going on?” 

“Dammit.” I’m super pissed. “Goddammit, Hunter. Fitz, is Coulson back? Have you found him?”

“No. Calm down, Ward. What is going on? What do I not know?” It surprises me that I don’t hear the scared little boy in Fitz any more. He sounds like he’s matured.

I pinched the top of my nose. “Look, Fitz. I need you to steer clear from Mack and Bobbi. They’re up to no good and I don’t think for a second that Hunter bailed. I called Coulson and he’s not answering. Where’s May?”

“I don’t know but I can find her. I don’t know where Coulson is but he took Skye. I went to go see her like I told you I would but she’s gone too. May said Skye and Coulson were together. Look, let me look for May and I’ll have her call you.”

“Ok. Thanks Fitz.”

I hang up and as soon as I do, my phone rings. It’s a number I don’t recognize. I hope it’s Hunter.

“Yea?”

“I hear you want Sunil Bakshi.”

“Who is this?” I make my voice sound threatening.

“Relax. It’s Fox, Hunter’s contact. I heard through the grapevine you wanted Bakshi.”

I relax. I remember Fox now. “Yea, last I heard the Air Force had him.”

“They did. Some people went in to bust him out. Killed a couple of people but on the way out, some people who heard you wanted him cut in. They’re asking for a reward.”

I sigh. “I bet they do. How much?”

Fox takes a second and then answers, “50.”

I roll my eyes. That’s is? “Send me the info. I’ll pick him up.”

I exit the room to find Kara in a robe. I frown, confused. What the hell?

“Surprise.” She turns and she is wearing Skye’s face.

I gasp and take a small step back.

She comes forward and I’m so stunned I don’t think about stopping her when she starts kissing me. It takes me longer to stop her than I’d like to admit because part of me wants to believe she’s Skye. But she tastes nothing like her. I’ve memorized Skye’s scent and her lips and this isn’t her.

I step back and push Kara off me gently.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to repay you…for…for helping me.” Her voice is so soft and she looks humiliated.

I feel pity. She’s so broken. “Kara, why would you do this? Why would you turn yourself into her?”

“You love her.” The way she says it makes it seems like she’s adding a “Duh” in the end.

“And you also pulled me off the floor after she shot me.” I say with a harsh tone. Because if I’m honest, who the hell would still love her after that? You do, the quiet voice fills my head.

“I’m sorry. I just thought we could be together.” She looks down ashamed but she doesn’t change her face. 

“Do me a favor and change your face back. Kara, I just want you to be you.”

“There is no me. Whitehall erased me.” Well, at least now she admits what he did to her.

“Look, I think I have a way to get some of who you are back. I got word that some contacts of mine picked up Bakshi. I want to pick him up and question him.”

“Bakshi?” She looks up at me stunned. “He dragged me out of my safe house.”

I nod. “Well, maybe he can tell us more about you.”

She nods. “When can we pick him up?”

“I’m just waiting for the information.”

She smiles and she changes her face to someone I’ve never seen. “I’ll go get dressed. Thank you, Grant.” She goes into her room.

My phone rings. “Yea?”

“Ward?” It’s May. “What the hell is going on? Fitz is losing his mind and Hunter is MIA. I just spoke to Mack who says Hunter is out at some bar.”

“I bet he did.” I grumble. Hunter is a pain in the ass but he’s a friend. I’m not opposed to taking a swing at this Mack guy. “May, I need to talk to Coulson.”

“Sorry. He’s off base. Now, tell me what is going on?”

May is like Coulson’s right -and man, so I don’t hesitate to tell her what Hunter talked to me about and my worries about Bobbi and Mack. 

“I’ll take care of it. Coulson is off with Skye but as soon as he’s back, I’ll let him know what’s going on. I don’t think Morse would do anything against SHIELD. Maybe Hunter heard wrong.” I can hear May is doubting my info.

“May, he said they mentioned backup when Skye’s powers went haywire.”

May was silent for a while. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”

I should hang up but I don’t.

“She’s ok, Ward. As ok as she can be. We’ll take care of her.” Her voice is surprising quiet. It’s quite touching to hear it in May’s voice.

“Thanks, May.”

The days pass quickly. I enjoy Kara’s company. She’s easy to like and joke with. I let my guard down with her like I haven’t with anybody else. Skye comes to mind but even with her, I held back because of my mission. I want Kara to like me, so I have to make her feel at ease with me. 

Kara asks about Andrew and I tell her how he’s helped me. I tell her that he could help her and she agrees with a smile on her face. She tells me how she got captured by Hydra. She was in a SHIELD safe house and they found her there. She asks if I know Bobbi Morse. I ask why and she tells me that Bobbi is the one who gave her up.

My body freezes. Damn. Whatever Bobbi is into, I don’t believe she meant any harm and maybe didn’t even know Kara was at the safe house. At the end of the day, Kara was captured because of Bobbi’s intel and Kara can’t forgive that.

So, she calls Andrew and they talk on the phone for a while.

I try not to worry about the mess going in with SHIELD. I focus on the task in front of me. Get Bakshi. Get all the info out of him about Kara. Get all the info he has on the remainder of Hydra and then turn him back over to SHIELD.

I get the info from FOX and tell Kara it’s time to go. I have to give it to her. She looks like she’s ready to face him.

Bakshi looks relieved when he sees Kara (as May) but he isn’t too excited to see me and I have to give him a smile.

When he asks who we’re working for and Kara says “nobody” he gets that panic in his eyes again and tries to have Kara focus with all the brain washing bullshit. This prompts her to knock him out which again, makes me smile. I keep telling myself this, but I like Kara.

The men holding him, wait for payment and don’t make a fuss when we try to leave.

My phone dings and what I see makes no sense. It’s from a crazy number. Not a regular number. I play the message and a cold wave hits down my spine. It’s Hunter. “Ward, it’s another SHIELD. They—” and the message cuts out.

“Shit!” I yell at the phone.

“What?” Kara looks worried. 

I shake my head. “I have to make a call. Give me a minute.” The men that held Bakshi put him in our car as Kara gets in the driver’s seat.

I dial Coulson’s number and he finally answers. “Ward.”

“Sir, they have Hunter! He called and his call got cut off.”

“Mack and Morse.” Coulson doesn’t sound too surprised but he does sound pissed.

“Yes. All he said before the line was cut off was that it’s another SHIELD. Does that mean anything to you?” I look back at Kara. She hasn’t moved from behind the wheel and the men have gone back inside.

“No. Thanks for the heads up. Let me know if Hunter contacts you again. I’ll let May and Fitz know. Skye is safe for now. Nobody knows where she is. I need to take care of this. You ok out there?”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll await your call if you need anything. I think Kara would be willing to help too.”

“Sounds good. I’ll call you as soon as I can.” The line goes dead.

I feel useless not being there but I have Bakshi and I’m going to use him.

After getting what we can from him, Kara and I decide to try and duplicate the brainwashing Hydra did on Kara. If we can brainwash Bakshi into doing our bidding, taking down Hydra will be a piece of cake.

We work on Bakshi for days. At first it doesn’t seem to be working but as soon as it does, it’s immediate. 

When Kara isn’t with me working on Bakshi, she talks to Andrew. She even met him for coffee today. She’s taken to Andrew and has progressed more than I did in the beginning. She’s fighting to become the agent she was before. She speaks about SHIELD often now and the colleagues she lost over the years. 

My mind wanders to Coulson and Skye a lot and I’m relieved to hear from Coulson. 

“Sir?”

“I’m with Hunter. This other SHIELD took over our base. I made it out. Fitz just contacted me. We’re going to pick him up and then we’re coming for you.”

“I’ll be ready. Kara will help. I haven’t told her I’m working for you but I think she’ll be ok with it. And we’ve got Bakshi.”

“Bakshi? How did that happen?”

“Long story but he’s willing to help. How’s the rest of the team?” I’m really asking about Skye. Sure, I’m worried about Simmons and May but not like am about Skye.

“I lost her, Ward. There’s a powered person—a man. He got to her before I could come back to get her.”

I shut my eyes and try to breathe. My hand runs through my hair. I grit my teeth. “Who is he? Where was she and why did you leave her in the first place?” I try to calm myself and start taking deep breaths.

Coulson doesn’t answer for a minute. “She doesn’t have control of her powers. Andrew wanted me to remove her from duty altogether. This was the only thing I could think of. We’ll get her back, Ward. I need you to tell me what you have on List and Strucker. They’re still out there and they’re gathering people with powers. Maybe one of them can get us to this powered man who took Skye. He also took her father and Raina.”

I clench my jaw. “I’ll get what I can from Bakshi. I’ll send my location.” I hang up before I really go off on Coulson. I have to talk to Kara.

“Kara?” I call. She comes out of the kitchen.

“Yea?”

“I’m going to tell you something and I hope you take it well.” I motion to the couch and she comes to sit next to me.

“What’s going on? Is everything ok?” She looks concerned. She looks at me through narrow eyes.

“Can I help with something?” Bakshi stands at the foot of the couch. He’s got a smile on his face and he reminds me of a damn lap dog.

“This doesn’t concern you Bakshi.” I say through my teeth. “I need to speak to Kara.”

“My apologies, Sir.” He turns and disappears down the hall.

“Grant?” Kara is waiting.

“Look, I’ve been lying to you.”

She gulps and looks frightened, like I’m going to attack her.

“I’m sorry, Kara. But I won’t hurt you. I’ve been working for SHIELD for a while now—before John died. Coulson needs our help. I want to know if you’ll join us. We want to end Hydra once and for all.”

She looks so lost and confused. “But you told me yourself that they hate you.”

I nod. “Most of them do. They don’t know. Only a few know I betrayed Hydra and rejoined SHIELD. Will you help me—us, Kara? They were your family once. Maybe they can be that for you once more.”

She looks at me for a long time. We’re both quiet and before I can say something, she breaks the silence. “I’ll help you bring down SHIELD. In return, I want my file and want to be left alone. I don’t want part of this world anymore, Grant. I want out.” She gives me a small smile, “that’s who you’ve been talking to?”

“Yes.”

Her smile broadens. “I’m not surprised you know. I always knew you were the good guy.” She stands and places her hand on my cheek. “I’m gonna finish lunch. I assume I should be ready to go.” She raises an eyebrow and I nod. “I’ll finish quickly and pack.”

“I’ll tell Bakshi.” I feel awkward since her hand is still on my face.

She steps back and starts walking towards the kitchen again. “You still love her, don’t you?” she turns back to ask me.

I don’t have to ask who. “Yea, I do.”

“You’ve already forgiven her?” She turns so that she’s facing me.

“I never blamed her.”

“She shot you. She wanted you dead.” Her face is sad.

I shrug. “I can’t explain it, Kara. She doesn’t know I’m on her side. After all I did to them…I can’t blame her. I know I don’t have a future with her. I know I’m crazy for still loving her but I can’t stop.”

“I care about you, you know?” She’s trying not to cry and it breaks my heart because I love Kara but not the way she wants me to love her. 

I will never be in love with her. She’s quickly become one of my favorite people and my best friend.

“I know.”

“She has to deserve you.”

I laugh. “It’ll never happen, Kara. Skye hates me and that’s ok. I’m an idiot.”

“No,” she says quietly, “just a man in love.”

I leave the room to pack. It feels nice now that Kara finally knows the truth about me. I hated lying to her. She’s going to be a great asset to the team. But I still have to tell Coulson about Kara’s story and I don’t think it’s mine to tell.

I ask Bakshi to tell me everything he knows about Strucker and List, how they work, who they keep around, their ideas, their beliefs, do they have any weaknesses, or families.

Coulson arrives that night with Hunter, Fitz and Mike Peterson.

Mike gives me a once over and I roll my eyes. We don’t have the best of history but we’ll have to work together so I’m going to behave myself.

A smile appears on my face when I meet the others faces. All have smiles for me. Fitz is the first to come forward.

“Ward.” He hugs me. He’s become a hugger. “So glad to see you.”

“Hello, mate. What’ve you been up to?” Hunter shakes my hand.

“Ward. Glad to see you’re looking good.”

“Sir, thank you.”

I turn to introduce Kara, she’s been quiet and looks shy. “Everyone, this is Kara. Kara, this is Fitz, Director Coulson, Hunter and Mike.” She nods a hello.

Bakshi is standing to the side of Kara and waves. I roll my eyes. “Everyone ignore Bakshi.” I look over my shoulder, “Bakshi, get our bangs and bring them onto the quinjet.”

Bakshi jumps on his feet and does what he’s told.

Coulson gives me a look and I shrug. “I’ll explain while we’re on the air. I have a location on List and Strucker.”

We all board the quinjet with Mike in the cockpit.

Hunter and Fitz catch me up on what happened with them and Coulson asks how I’m doing.

“He was shot by your agent. How do you want him to be doing?” Kara glares at Coulson.

“Kara.” I warn and she shoots me a look.

“You can’t blame Skye.” Fitz jumps off his seat. “If she knew from the start what was going on, she wouldn’t have shot him.” Fitz turns to me now. “You have to tell her, Ward. Enough with all the lying. You say you want her forgiveness, but she won’t give it to you until it’s out in the open.”

He was right but I’m a coward.

“He’s right, mate. Skye deserves to know. Trust me on this, it doesn’t feel good when someone you care about lies to you. Even when they say it’s to protect you.”

“Right. You just forget the simple fact that she doesn’t care about me. Keep out of this, Hunter. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” I’m annoyed and pissed that Hunter would compare me and Skye to him and Bobbi.

“Ward, they’re right. You know Skye. If she didn’t care about you, she would have killed you in San Juan. This is enough. I can’t keep having you talk me out of this. Enough is enough. I’m the Director of SHIELD and what I say goes. You are no longer under cover.” Coulson has his Director’s tone on. “Do you understand? it’s time the team know what’s going on. That includes Jemma and Skye. We are bringing Hydra down together.”

Coulson’s mind is set and not matter what I say or do now, I’m outnumbered and I’m not going to get my way. It’s time I face the team as a whole and admit what I’ve been doing.


	12. Chapter 12:  Simmons Has Some Balls

I’m overwhelmed and freaking out about Skye learning the truth but I can’t show that. Coulson has an idea but I won’t let any of them see it.

“Yes, Sir.” I clear my throat. “First things first, can you help Kara. We need a picture of what she looked like and a copy of her file. The mask she wears can’t be taken off and it won’t give us a clear look of her face because it’s too damaged.”

I give Kara a small smile and she returns it. I hadn’t noticed how she’d shadowed me as I’d walked. She stands next to me and goes to hold my hand. She squeezes it gently once and keeps my hand in hers.

I’m used to Kara being this way. I know she’s attached herself to me. I don’t mind it at all because she knows where I stand with my feelings.

Coulson and Hunter pretend they don’t see it but Fitz is openly staring at our joined hands and looks so confused. He puts both hands on his back and then brings one to pinch the bridge of his nose as he shuts his eyes. 

Coulson pulls out what looks like a black cube and sets it on a seat. “I can pull it up now.” The cube projects some screens and Coulson looks like he’s flipping threw them with a swipe of his hand. And then, we see it, Kara’s file.

She instantly drops my hand and steps forward to see herself. She wastes no time in scanning her face and changing her mask. She turns to me with her own face in a wide smile and then she surprises us all by throwing herself at Coulson. He catches her and she embraces him.

I know how happy she is with this small gesture. She might be angry at Skye but she’s willing to help Coulson. She was always loyal to SHIELD.

We leave her alone after she lets go of Coulson to give her time to read her own file.

“Bakshi planned a meeting with List. He’s not to bring anyone, although he can bring a bodyguard. I was assuming he could take Hunter but now that Mike is here, we could monitor the exchange more closely with him there.” I explain to Coulson.

“I agree. If anything goes wrong, we can have eyes in the room. You sure we can trust Bakshi?” Coulson glances at Bakshi.

“Yes. We used the same technique that Hydra used on Kara. He’s ready to comply.” I turn to Bakshi myself, “Aren’t you Bakshi?”

Bakshi’s sniveling smile appears. “Yes, Sir. I’m happy to comply.” He looks like he’s going to get a treat. It makes me sick so I point to the seat and he sits.

“Where on earth did you come up with brainwashing him?” Hunter also looks disgusted with Bakshi.

I shrug. “We needed an in. I lost a lot of trust when I turned Bakshi over to you and I can only imagine what Whitehall spread about me before he died. Bakshi is my in. He’s a little weasel.”

We go over the plan one more time and wait as Bakshi and Mike meet with List. Everything is going well when suddenly, their plane taking off.

“Strucker is overseas.” I say. “Maybe they’re going to him.” I’m guessing because nothing about the exchange Bakshi and Mike had with List raised any red flags.

“Makes sense. Let’s make sure we’re on their tail. Ward, get behind the wheel. Fitz stay on Mike, make sure he’s playing along. If he thinks he’s in danger he automatically goes on attack mode.”

“Yes, sir.”

I make my way to the cockpit.

“I can make some calls and get us some backup, sir.” Hunter suggests.

I stop paying attention as I go into stealth mode. Kara come to sit beside me. She’s been quiet.

“You ok?” I turn to her.

She hesitates before she nods. “I—I want to help you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ll stay and help you with Hydra. I won’t stay with SHIELD but I can help end this. Plus, you’re going to need someone when Skye finds out about you. Who knows how she’ll react. You need someone watching your back.”

I smile at her. “Partners?” 

“Partners.” She agrees.

We fly for a while in silence.

“Ward, I don’t think they’re going to Strucker. I think List found the man who took Skye.” Coulson calls out and I turn.

“What? How?” This is great news. We can get Skye back. My stomach turns in knots and I ignore it.

“List found a way to track the teleporter. The one who took Skye.” Fitz answers.

“I’m missing something. Why does Hydra want Skye?” Kara asks and we all turn to her. In all that was going on, I’d forgotten to tell her.

“Nothing that matters to you.” Fitz answered defensively.

I scowl at him and turn back to Kara. “That day, in San Juan…”

“The day she shot you.” She doesn’t hesitate to bring that up.

I take a deep breath. “Yes. Skye followed Raina down into the temple and she—”

“She changed like Whitehall wanted.” The news dawns on her. “That’s why Hydra wants her. They’re collecting powered people and now she’s on that list.”

“Exactly. We have to get her back and find out what Hydra is doing with or to these individuals.” Coulson explains.

“Are we sure we want 33 on this?” Hunter not so quietly says.

“My name is Kara.” She spits threw her teeth.

I shake my head. Hunter never helps. “Hunter, relax. I trust Kara. She’s with us 100% on this. She might not like Skye but she’ll do what she can to help. She’s on our team.” I give him a look and he throws his hands up in defeat.

“Sorry, but I see how Kara looks at you. I don’t want her getting any funny ideas and trying something on Skye.” Hunter grumbles.

I roll my eyes.

“That’s enough Hunter.” Coulson states as he takes a seat.

I’m not too far behind when Hydra lands. I put the quinjet down on the roof.

“Talk to me Fitz, what’s going on?” 

“Sir, I think Skye’s in the building.” Fitz looks to all of us.

As soon as I can get out of my chair, I do.

We all get ready and climb out.

“Spread out. Find Skye and get back here. Fitz, you stay here and monitor Mike’s feed.” 

Hunter, Kara, Coulson and I exit the jet and run into the building.

My adrenaline is up and I can hear the blood soaring through my veins. My arms are up and I’m holding my weapon up, ready to fire.

I quickly scan the stair case and we make it onto the top floor. “Ward, you’re with me. Kara, go with Hunter.”

Kara looks to me and I nod to her. She’ll be safe with Hunter. No matter what a jerk he is, he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

I’m not far into the hallway when I hear, “Mike sees her. Skye’s on the 10th floor.” Fitz voice rings into our comms and I let out a sigh of relief.

All of us make our way down and before we go into the hallway, I hear Fitz again, “Sir, I’ve lost Mike’s feed. Someone is trying to hack into it.”

Coulson and I look at each other before heading into the hallway. The floor is crawling with Hydra. We all start shooting.

“We need to split up.” Coulson yells from behind a door.

“We’ll cover you. Go find Skye.” Hunter looks at Coulson then at me. I can see he’s determined to get Skye back.

With Kara and Hunter covering us, we make our way down the hall and turn down two hallways. We don’t see anybody until a guy comes flying out of a room. With guns up, Coulson and I approach.

Mike comes out and falls on his knees.

“Who the hell is that guy?” I ask. He’s not Hydra.

“Don’t know. Packs a mean spark. I think he’s protecting, Skye.” Mike groans and starts to stand.

“Where’s Skye? Can you scan this floor?” Coulson asks Mike.

“Last time I saw, she went around that corner.” Mike points. He’s still having a hard time standing. I frown, this guy must be packing to put Deathlock down.

“You gonna be ok?” I ask Mike.

He nods. “Go get your girl.” He answers and I can feel my mouth twitch in a small smile.

Coulson and I run now. We are both dying to get to Skye.

Out of nowhere, four Hydra agents jump out. I take two down fast but the other two are taking a beating at Coulson. I yank one off and starts to beat him. With only one to fight, Coulson is gaining advantage.

I take the guy down just as Coulson takes his guy down too. I hand him a gun and we both look up to see Skye at the same time. She’s looking at us in shock, surprise and amazement. I can see her trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

“Skye.” Coulson said relieved.

Skye smiles. “Coulson?” And she doesn’t hesitate to come toward us.

I sigh in relief. We got her.

We’re both shocked when a man with no eyes appears. He says something to her and all I hear her say is, “No. Please. No. Not yet.”

Cal jumps on them from out of nowhere and all three are gone just as fast as the man had appeared. I stand there in shock. We just had her. She was right here.

“Dammit. We had her.” Coulson is shaking his head. He looks just as shocked as I feel. The man on the floor stirs and I knock him back out with a kick.

Coulson’s staring at the spot where Skye disappears. Another Hydra agent runs out and aims at Coulson. I shoot before Coulson even has time to turn.

“We need to leave, sir. Skye’s gone. Mike is down and Hydra is storming the building. Who don’t know how many more powered people are here. We need to—“ I see Kara holding up Hunter. They’re making their way towards us, “what the hell happened to you?”

“Flesh wound.” Hunter answers but fails at looking ok. He looks like he lost a lot of blood.

“A bad one.” Kara warns me.

“We’re outnumbered and outgunned. Our only backup is Fitz. I say we pull out and regroup. Your call though, sir.”

Coulson looks at me for a minute. “Let’s get back in the air. I’ve got an idea. Or the start of an idea, anyway.”

We cover each other’s backs but we only pass by three Hydra agents on the way back to the roof. We call out for Mike but he’s nowhere. He’s gone, along with Hydra. I hope Coulson’s idea is another one to get to Skye.

“Where’s Bakshi?” Coulson looks around.

“If he thought he’d have a chance with List, he might have gone with him. But don’t worry, he’ll listen to orders. He’ll gather intel.” I assure Coulson.

He nods before he starts telling us his idea. Two second after Coulson is done with his genius idea and we all start telling him all at once how ridiculous it sounds.

Coulson holds up his hands. “Listen to me. We need to meet with Gonzalez. We have to deal with them at some point. We need their help if we want to get Skye back. I don’t see another way. We’re in over our heads.”

“They kidnapped me and took me into the middle of the bloody ocean. They think you’re mad and you want to be best friends with them?” Hunter is looking at Coulson like he’s gone insane. “We can call some guys I know to help us with Skye. I know a couple that we can maybe trust.”

“Hunter, are you hearing yourself? Some that we can ‘maybe trust’. This is Skye. We have no resources and no tech. We need real backup. And we can’t find Skye, fight Hydra and stay away from Gonzalez and his people.” Coulson had a point.

I reluctantly agreed with a nod.

“While I’m gone, you’re in charge.” He points to me and again I give him a nod. “Yes, Sir. We’ll wait for you to make contact.”

Coulson goes over the plan again, both of his side of things and what he wants from us. Once he’s out of the jet, I take her up and fly out of “SHIELD’s” way.

I pass the time talking to Kara, as Hunter and Fitz have made it clear they neither like her nor trust her. It’s bugging me and I have to talk to them about her but I can’t do it with her there.

I can feel them watching us and hear them making comments but I ignore them.

Hunter gets the call and we board the Bus. Once inside, we fly to base and are escorted by guards.

“Kara, meet Agent May. She looks cold and tough but on the inside she’s also cold and tough.” May is in the hallway with us and she rolls her eyes. I lean into Kara’s ear and whisper, “but she’s a friend and we can trust her.”

Kara looks at May and gives her small smile. I turn to May and give her one too. Her expression doesn’t change and I want to laugh.

“Don’t make me shoot you.” May finally says. “Stop smiling. You’re freaking me out.”

We are escorted to a room with Bobbi, Gonzalez and Coulson.

“Before we start I need to tell you all about Agent Ward.”

“Agent?” Bobbi turns to me.

Ah. So, we’re doing this now. Coulson wasn’t kidding about me being done with undercover work.

I lean back against the door frame as Coulson tells them what I’ve been doing and how long I’ve been back on their side.

Bobbi looks surprised as does Gonzalez. “That who time we had him in Vault D he was acting like Hydra was a lie. That’s why he sent us, Bakshi?” Bobbi asks. She looks between me and Coulson and then something dawns on her. “Was Hunter in on it? He knew, didn’t he?”

I nod.

“Dammit, Hunter. And I keep secrets?” She was murmuring under her breath.

“This isn’t the time, Agent Morse.” Gonzalez reminded her and Bobbi’s demeanor changed. She was back to being an Agent.

“We were able to get feed from Deathlock’s eye. It was removed by Hydra. We no longer have eyes on the ground.” Gonzalez caught us up.

“Yes, we do. We have Sunil Bakshi.” 

“Bakshi.” Bobbi turns to me. “Bakshi is Hydra.”

“He was. He works for me now. Kara and I,” I nod towards Kara, “we brainwashed him. He listens to our orders and nobody else’s. Trust me, he’s our eyes.”

“What’s your plan?” Gonzalez turns to Coulson.

Coulson tells them about bombing the Hydra facility after having only his Agents go in to save Mike and the other enhanced people.

They put it to a vote and it’s decided that Coulson has a go ahead.

Kara follows me out of the room. I have to go get ready.

“Why do you have to go?” She yanks me to a stop.

“You know why I have to go.” I look her in the eyes. She doesn’t need me to remind her that I love Skye.

“Why can’t I go?” 

“Coulson wants a team that he trusts to work together. We’re used to each other. We’ve done this before. Before I betrayed them, we were a team to be reckoned with. Stay, you need to talk to Bobbi.”

Kara’s eyes almost bulged out of her head. “What?! Are you crazy? I can’t talk to her.”

“Kara, you’ll never get closure if you don’t talk about it. Remember what Andrew told you. I think you need to tell her that you know it was her who gave Hydra the location of the safe house. It might not go great but you need answers. Just talk to her.” I encourage.

I get ready and make my way onto the hanger. I got to admit, it feels great going on a mission with my team—the original team.

As soon as we’re on the jet, we hear a loud noise coming from inside. May and I are immediately ready, guns in the air, pointed at where the noise came from.

“What the hell was that?” Coulson asks.

“Hi, guys.” Skye emerges from the top of the stairwell.

She’s never looked so gorgeous.

Coulson is the first one to her. They embrace. It’s followed by quick hugs from Fitz and Simmons. I hang back to watch. I’m terrified because I know what’s coming.

I watch as May and Skye look at each other. A message is there but I can’t read it. Almost at the same time, they nod to each other and May makes her way to the cockpit.

Everyone goes to put their things away and I meet Coulson to meet the rest of the team. “You ready for her to know the truth?” He asks.

“Not even a little bit.” My heart is hammering in my chest.

“It’ll be fine. I don’t think Jemma knows either.”

“Can we wait until this particular mission is over?” I beg.

Coulson frowns. “Ward—”

“I just need a little bit of time to work some courage up. I swear, even if I’m not ready after the mission you can tell them.”

I must look pathetic because he agrees.

We’re close enough now that I can hear Skye telling Fitzsimmons that she wants to wait to tell them anything because I’m here.

It stings but I let it go.

Simmons nods in agreement with Skye but Fitz shakes his head, “Oh, no. You see—”

“Did I hear my name?” I interrupt before Fitz can tell them the truth.

“He’s like Candyman.” Skye tells them.

“We should review the opp.” Coulson calls for everyone’s attention.

May is coming up behind us. She looks at Coulson and I and raises an eyebrow.

Coulson shakes his head at her and she turns to me, disappointment written all over her face.

Fitz has also caught on that the truth isn’t being told to Jemma and Skye and I can see he’s pissed but I have to put that to the back of my mind. We have a mission.

Coulson has me take lead on this op and I tell them how Bakshi is getting ahold of me and giving me intel.

When I turn back to the team, I’m met with Jemma and Skye’s disapproving eyes, May’s blank stare, Fitz’s anger and Coulson’s pity.

“Ok. Let’s address the elephant on the plane. I’m sorry. I know I betrayed you all. We all made mistakes. We’re not perfect. I know most of the mistakes were made by me but you all have tried to kill me so, there’s that.”

Coulson chuckled. “When did I try to kill you.”

“You didn’t but you handed me off to my abuser. Thank you for that.” I said it as dry as possible.

Fitz is shaking his head and pinches his eyes. “I can’t. I can’t. Are we really going to stand here and not—”

“Fitz.” Coulson interrupts him before I can. “I know you don’t trust Ward. Believe me, we can trust him on this. Let’s just get through this mission and get back to base.”

“Yea? And then what?” Fitz is pushing it.

“Fitz.” Coulson warns and Fitz keeps his mouth shut.

“We were a team—a family.” Skye’s pained voice comes from the corner.

I can feel myself gets chocked up and I will myself to look at her. “I know. I regret it more than anything. I am sorry, Skye.”

I can see the tears in her eyes. She shakes her head and looks away from me.

“I won’t ever forgive myself. I did a lot of horrible things when I followed John. I killed a lot of people. But that’s not what I can’t forgive myself for. It’s this.” I make a circle to indicate I’m talking about us. “It’s this team. My actions destroyed this team. I’ll regret it forever.” I swallow. I want Skye and Jemma to know the truth but I’m not ready. “There were a lot of good times. We were a good team. Pieces fitting perfectly into a puzzle.”

Skye turns back to me and I think she’s going to cry. She brings her hands up to her face. And if she cries, it’s silently. She brushes tears from her face and doesn’t look at me.

It’s quiet for a while until Coulson gets us back on track, talking about the mission. I’m with Skye and Jemma. Perfect. 

We all get ready after the plan is gone over a couple of times. 

When we drop, May tells us to “Hold on.”

Skye grabs my hand and I don’t think she knows she’s doing it so I don’t say a word. And as much as I hate this fall, I thank God it’s happening. I close my eyes and focus on her touch, memorizing the feel of it.

Once we’re on the ground, Skye yanks her hand away and neither of us talks about it.

We make our way into the building and meet with Bakshi. We get List’s location from him and move on with the rest of the mission.

Simmons, Skye and I follow Bakshi into the mainframe room. I take the lead. There’s no way either of these girls are going to be hurt because I wasn’t doing my job.

But before I can go in, Skye cuts me off and goes in ahead. I cuss under my breath and go in after her. Simmons is close behind.

Men start firing at us and we fire back. We take cover and I can’t help but tell Skye, “Just like old times, huh?”

Only, she’s better trained now.

“Not exactly.” She answers me as she gets up and throws her hand in the air. Something that looks like a pulse is released from her hand and two men fly and hit the wall. 

I get up from my spot and look at her with admiration. “Huh. So that’s what happened in Puerto Rico.” Why does she look hotter now? I clear my throat. “You’re welcome.” I’m making a joke to lighten things up. She doesn’t look like she appreciates it.

We approach some glass windows. Mike is sitting in a bed. His eye and his leg are missing.

Skye asks about the other guy. Something about electrical powers. Mike tells her to go find him and I want to follow. She looks worried and I hold back. She knows how much time we have and I don’t think I want to see her reunion with the guy.

Simmons does quick work at looing over Mike. I stand by the door in case another Hydra jackass comes back and tries something. Skye can handle herself, Simmons can’t.

“Don’t stand there like a dumbass. Find something we can carry him out on.” She barks at me a couple minutes later. I roll my eyes and step out of the room.

Simmons’ is a lot feistier than I remember.

I go to find something. It doesn’t take me long to find a flat bed but it won’t budge. Thinking it has the breaks on, I lean over to see better.

“Sir, watch out!” Bakshi screams for me and I turn, gun in hand.

I see him struggling with Jemma and then he falls back. As he stands, he disintegrates. A splinter bomb. I realize what she’s just tried to do.

I look at her, not believing what she’s capable of. “We’re on the same team, Simmons. What the hell?”

“I promised you that I’d kill you the next time I saw you.” She was angry as well as scared. “Go on. Shoot me. Kill me. Get it over with you, Monster.”

I shake my head and drop my gun. “Simmons, I’ve been working with SHIELD since before Garrett died. I’ve been under cover with Hydra. I know you won’t believe me but talk to Coulson, to anyone. Fitz.” She gasped at Fitz name and I hopped I hadn’t just gotten him in trouble. But he was the only one besides Coulson who she would actually believe. “He’ll tell you. I knew you hated me but I never for a second thought you’d try to kill me. I’m sorry for what I did to you and Fitz but it was the only way I could get you off of that plane alive.” 

Simmons didn’t say anything. She looked lost. She didn’t want to believe me.

“You’ve changed. I’m sorry. What I did to you really changed you. I’m disappointed.” The realization of it all hits me again. It’s like it comes in waves. Every time I think I have a handle of what my actions changed people in the past, something else happens and I get swept up in it again.

“Ward?” Jemma calls for my attention. I don’t know how long I’ve stood there, looking lost. 

“Tell Fitz and Hunter I said thank you. Tell Fitz that it means a lot that he forgave me. Hunter needs someone to horse around with.” I sound winded.

“What—why—Ward—”

“Tell Coulson,” I catch my breath, what do you say to a man like that? “Tell Coulson, that I’m sorry that I can’t be the man we both wanted me to be. Thank him for trusting me. I can’t—I’m too much of a coward to tell Skye. She’s going to hate me. I keep disappointing everyone. You guys take care of Kara. Please, Simmons. Please take care of Kara.” I hold both her hands so she can see I’m pleading. 

She looks so lost. “She—she’ll forgive you. Why all the lies? Just tell her.”

“She’s better off without me. I’m a broken man, Simmons. She’ll hate me and even if she doesn’t I can’t face her.”

I turn and run. Hating myself for running. Hating the fact that I hadn’t done it long ago. Hating that I was leaving Kara alone. Hating that I disappointed Coulson. Hating myself for being a coward.

I was never going to tell Skye. I’d lied about that too.

I hated myself for it all.


	13. Chapter 13: Agent Ward is Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I’m sorry for the ending in the last chapter. I was as surprised as you. I always meant for Ward to stay away from the team for a little while longer but not like that. I think in that moment, he might have panicked. I promise to make up for it. We’ve passed the halfway mark for sure. Remember I LOVE reviews.

WARD POV  
I watched as they made it out of the building. They were still my team and I had to make sure that they had all made it out.

I was going to have to make it up to Coulson for what I’d just done. He had given me a chance and I’d turned my back on him because of my pathetic self-esteem. I was no good for the team. They deserved better. It was asking a lot for them to forgive me. Even though I had turned my back on Garrett, I had still killed hand and countless others. I had helped bring Hydra to power and at the same time weaken SHIELD. That wouldn’t change because I was a coward in the end and chose Skye over everyone else.

I waited to call Coulson, because he at least deserved that.

***  
“Sir, has Ward been undercover for SHIELD?” Jemma demanded as Coulson walked on the jet. He was the last one to enter.

Coulson looked around at the team. “Where is he?”

“Can you answer my question, Sir?” Jemma asked upset.

“Agent Simmons, I asked you were he was.” Coulson wasn’t letting up either and showed it by using his Director tone.

“He’s not here.” She answered with a calmer tone. “He—he said he couldn’t come. Sir, please.” She begged and now everyone could see the tears in her eyes.

Fitz shut his eyes.

May knew this was coming but Skye—Skye was in shock. She looked around the group confused.

“Agent Ward came to me when we first arrived at Providence. He’d been a sleeper agent working with Garrett but was asked to do something that made him finally turn on Hydra. Agent Ward came to me and it was decided that because he was trusted with Hydra, that he would work undercover. Yes, Simmons. He’s been undercover and was instrumental in helping bringing Hydra down.” Coulson looked at Simmons when he answered. He didn’t trust himself to look at Skye yet. “Now,” his tone was gentler than before, “where is Agent Ward?”

“He’s not coming.” Jemma let her tears fall.

May looked to Coulson with a knowing look, “I’ll get us in the air.”

“Wait.” Skye stopped everyone. “Wait.” She was visibly shaking—in pain, anger, betrayal—nobody really knew. May stopped in her tracks.

“I’m sorry. We didn’t want to jeopardize his work so nobody could know. Only a couple of Agents knew of his status. He never killed Eric.” Coulson avoided Skye’s glare. “Where is Agent Ward, Simmons?”

Jemma was heavily crying. “He left. He left because—” Jemma took a deep breath as she was shaking so hard, “because I tried to kill him. I thought he was a threat to us all and I had a splinter bomb and Bakshi interjected.”

“Jemma, you didn’t.” Fitz closes in on her.

“You should have told me. You should have told us!” She looked from Fitz to Coulson.

“I know. I told everyone when we met with Rodriguez. Neither of you were there. I’m sorry.” Coulson apologized and looked to Skye finally.

“With all due respect, Sir,” Fitz stepped forward, “you could have said something before we went on this mission.”

Coulson shook his head. “I was but you all had to focus on the mission. Simmons, I never thought you would—”

“What, Sir? Try to kill the man I thought had try to kill us all? A man I thought had betrayed us for Hydra?” Jemma defended herself. 

“This was the Director’s call. If he thought Ward was safer undercover—if nobody knew then nobody gets to call him on that. Ward has been in various of dangerous positions for months. The only way he’s been able to stay safe was because it was a secret.” May defended Coulson.

“But you knew.” Jemma piped up again. It’s not lost on anyone that Skye hasn’t spoken a word. “Fitz knew and by what Ward says, so did Hunter. So how did they know and not us?”

“You were gone on a mission for the better part of the year, Simmons. Fitz was told by Ward himself and Hunter knew because he was my proxy when I couldn’t see Ward in vault D –by the way he had full access to the panel the whole time.” Coulson took a breath. “May.” He dismissed her and he turned back to the rest of the team, “When he first came on base to vault D, I brought in Andrew to talk to him. I trusted him enough but wanted another take on the situation by someone who didn’t know him. Andrew confirmed what I suspected. John Garrett broke Ward out of juvenile hall as a teenager and brainwashed him.”

Skye jerked her head up at that information but still didn’t say anything.

“He kept him secluded out in the woods and made him do unthinkable things for years. Ward’s one and only mission was to always protect Garrett and try to save him. Ward made no decisions of his own until he came to Providence and confessed to me what he was.”

“Why then, Sir?” Jemma who had stopped crying, asked. 

“John Garrett ordered Ward to not only bring back Skye to him but to kill her himself. He knew Ward cared—cared for the team,” Coulson had almost said Skye, “and wanted him to get rid of any weaknesses. He couldn’t kill either of you on that plane, Simmons. He tossed that pod off the plane thinking it would float. When he found out what had happened to Fitz—it was part of the reason he tried to commit suicide.” Coulson explained as much as he could. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I made the decision to hold back information and I’m sorry.”

There was nothing to be said now. Everyone looked like they wanted a moment.

“He said to tell you thank you for all you had done for him. He said he couldn’t be the man you both wanted him to be.” Jemma confessed. She turned back to Fitz and went into his arms. “He said he was grateful that you forgave him. He said to take care of Hunter and Kara.”

Fitz took Jemma onto a seat and held her as she cried.

Coulson approached Skye and she flinched away from him. Everyone saw her tears as she stalked away to cry alone.

When they arrived at base, Coulson’s phone rang.

***  
WARD’S POV  
“I’m sorry I ran.” I apologize but it sounds so weak to me.

“You’re a stronger man that you know, Ward.” Coulson sighs.

I laugh without humor. “I think you’re giving me too much credit. If I were, I’d be there and not here.”

“Everybody panics.” Coulson answer’s simply. “She knows.”

My heart stops.

“I don’t think she’ll be speaking to me for a while.” He confesses. I nod my understanding. “Come home, Ward.”

I shake my head as if he could see me. “I’m going after the last heads. List made it out.” I tell him.

“You’re going after him and Strucker?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“We can do it together. You’re not on your own anymore. We’re a team, remember? Back there…that mission that was completed—that was our team.”

I chuckle again. “Our team? Sir, one of our team members tried to kill me.”

“I’ll have Andrew talk to Simmons. It’s not like her. I don’t know what she was thinking. But she wouldn’t have done it if she had known. This went too far. I don’t think Skye will forgive me now. I saw her face when Simmons confessed to what she’d done. I think Skye thought back to Puerto Rico. She’s going to hate me for that. Come home. We can work on it.”

“I keep giving myself this checklist of when I’ll be ready. I’m telling myself after List and Strucker—but what if I’m not ready then either? I haven’t done enough. I haven’t made up for all I did. What if I’m just this coward now?”

Coulson is frustrated on the other line now. “You’ve done more than enough Agent Ward. Look, talk to Andrew. I don’t think this subject came up before. Talk to him and then we can talk.”

“Take care of Kara. She—she was expecting me back. Make sure she stays in contact with Andrew. And Sir, if you can—Bobbi was the one to give up Kara’s safe house location.”

“I’ll make sure I talk to Bobbi.” He promises.

I hang up without another word and get to work. I need to find List and Strucker.

The Avengers do the work for me. Within a week both are dead. So, I start going around to the bases I know that are still up and running. It’s not long before another head grows back.

Gideon Malick is my new target.

Coulson calls me as soon as he knows about the deaths of List and Strucker.

“Agent Ward, I’ve heard you’ve been busy. Some unverified Hydra locations have been destroyed.”

“I got bored. Both Strucker and List are dead. A new head grew back, faster than I’d like. Gideon Malick.”

“I’ll get all the information we have on him. I need you to come in.”

“Sir, I—”

“That’s an order Agent Ward. I’m sick and tired of not being listened to.” Coulson is a little too pissed off for this to be only about me.

“Sir, is there something else going on?”

“Skye—she hasn’t been speaking to anyone. She’s been by that guy Lincoln’s side since we’ve arrived. She won’t tell us where they kept her when she was taken. She won’t tell us anything about them. That teleporter showed up with Raina—on our ship. We have no idea what they want and she won’t cooperate. She’s calling herself an Inhuman now and talking about being a part of them and not a part of us. And if you don’t show up and do as you’re told—” Coulson cuts himself off and takes a deep breath. “Ward, maybe you can talk to her. She won’t listen to me. She won’t even look at me.”

“If she won’t talk or speak to you what makes you think she’ll talk to me?”

“Look, we’re meeting her tomorrow or meeting her mom. SHIELD—”

“Her mom? I thought her mom was dead.”

“She won’t tell me that either. All she said was that she’d speak to her for us and to give her a day to talk to her people. We don’t know anything besides that. Her mother runs the place. Skye had no choice but to at least tell us that. I need you here before we go in tomorrow. I need more people that I can trust.”

“Sir, I couldn’t come in a week ago. What makes you think I can come in now?”

“If you don’t show then you’re no longer a SHIELD Agent.” Coulson warned and I roll my eyes. “Ward, you are no coward. Listen to me—you’ll never know if you don’t try. And if you don’t try, she will hate you for the rest of her life.”

Fuck. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I grumble.

That panic is there as I gather the few items I have scattered. I’m not ready for this. The feeling I had last week with Simmons, creeps up but I focus on what I’m doing.

“Just get to a vehicle.” I say out loud.

I do this the whole way. I get to a vehicle. I pick up cash. I pick up weapons. I’m halfway to base and then I’m ambushed. I curse as my vehicle is hit with multiple guns. I speed up and try to crouch from all the bullets. My tire blows out the car swerves. I just barely miss a building. I stop near an alley and grab my bag. I come out firing.

I spot 6 men that might have been Hydra agents at one point. I guess they figured out who’s been destroying their bases.

I make it out but I’m hit in the shoulder. I call for an extraction as much as I didn’t want one because I wanted to take my time getting to base.

Hunter arrives hours later with a SHIELD agent at the wheel.

“What the hell happened to you?” He grabs my injured shoulder. I wince and pull away. “Thanks for that, Hunter.”

“So, what the hell was with you last week? You actually ran from SHIELD. Like some coward? Tell me it isn’t so.”

Leave it to Hunter to be a complete ass. “Shut up. Why don’t you tell me how it’s going with Bobbi, and we can sit here and talk about running?”

He gives me a look and I chuckle. 

“Give me the damn med kit, Hunter.” I put my bag down and sit.

“I think we’re missing all the fun. Coulson wasn’t too happy that you weren’t back yet. But he’s got a lot to be upset about. Skye didn’t say goodbye before she left with that Lincoln fellow. He and May are having this thing—and the council wouldn’t let him meet with Skye’s mom.”

“Wait—what council? And what the hell is going on with him and May?” I frowned confused. Coulson never mentioned anything about a council. And he never mentioned arguing with May.

“Well, I guess you miss things when you run away from your problems.” I snap my jaw shut and he sees my reaction. He looks like he regrets his words, “Right, well…this new SHIELD gave May a seat while we were gone. They put everything to decisions. Coulson is running things for them under their advisement. I don’t know exactly what Coulson and May are fighting about but I know she’s not happy with Skye either.”

I take a few minutes to digest the news. It would make sense for Coulson to try to make peace with Gonzalez. He still heads SHIELD and these new people think they have a say.

Hunter helps stitch me up. The bullet had gone through with no real damage. I take some pills to ease the pain and lean back to try to get some sleep before making it onto base.

As soon as we arrive, we are met with Coulson and Fitz.

“Hunter, have you heard anything about Bobbi?” Coulson urges.

“Bobbi? No why?” Hunter is by my side in an instant.

“Agent Morse was supposed to go meet May and our team to meet Skye’s mother. Her quinjet never made it there and we haven’t heard from her.” Coulson explained.

Hunter is already on his phone, calling Bobbi.

“Sir, how did it go?” I ask, swinging my bag onto my back.

“It’s good to finally have you back, Agent Ward.” Coulson smiles at me.

“Thank you, Sir. The mission? How did it go?” I repeat and give Fitz a nod.

“Not well. Skye’s mother was shot, we’re missing a quinjet, someone fired onto the Inhumans and Skye attacked May. So, as bad as it could have gone. And now I have another quinjet and an Agent missing.” As upset as he is, he’s holding it together. 

“Jemma, May and their team are on their way back.” Fitz adds. “Skye knocked May out with her powers. May isn’t too happy.”

“Sir,” Hunter is back, “she’s not answering and now it’s going straight to voicemail.”

I look to Hunter who looks like he’s in full panic mode now.

Coulson turns to Fitz. “Fitz, go over her flight record. Double check that we didn’t get a notification or anything from her.”

“Yes, Sir.” Fitz turns to go into the back with Hunter on his tail.

“What do you think happened?” I tear my eyes away from Fitz and Hunter to look at Coulson.

“With Gonzalez and Skye’s mom or with Bobbi?” Coulson walks and I fall into stride with him.

“Either.”

“Gonzalez allegedly shot Skye’s mom but I don’t buy it. It doesn’t make sense to invite us there either, just to attack. Something is going on there. And Bobbi…I honestly don’t know what happened there but it must be serious. I trust Agent Morse. I don’t think she would have just taken off.” Coulson stops just inside the hanger doors, “I have to go see the council. Feel free to find a bunk or help Fitz and Hunter. Or you can find Kara. She’s somewhere on the base. If you find her, you might want to talk to her. She hasn’t spoken to anyone and she’s refused to speak to Andrew.”

Before I go, Coulson points at my arm. I shake my head. “It’s fine. I’m patched up.”

“Make sure to find Simmons.” He advices.

I nod and go in search for Kara, my shoulder can wait. I wonder why she hasn’t spoken to anyone and realize she might be pissed at them for what happened with me. After about 20 minutes, I can’t find her anywhere. I ask around and even though people look at me weird, they don’t hesitate to talk to me. Nobody has seen her though. I give up and head to find Fitz and Hunter.

“Hey, how’s it going?” I ask and I see they’re looking over a screen.

Hunter is on his feet before I can react and pushes me up against the wall, his hand on my neck. I wince as my shoulder hits the wall.

“Hunter, what the hell?!” I grab his hand and push him off.

“What does Kara want with Bobbi?!” He spits out with hate.

“What are you talking about?” I try to calm the situation. “Hunter, what is going on?”

He grabs me by my good arm and I let him drag me to the screen. Fitz plays a feed and I see side by side screens with two different May’s leaving the base and it dawns on me.

“That’s Agent 33 with Bobbi.” Hunter’s voice is shaking with anger. “So, I’m asking you, what does she want with Bob?”

“Dammit, Kara.” I curse quietly.

“Ward?” Hunter’s voice is on edge.

“I’m sorry, Hunter. We need to find Coulson. Now.” I say urgently as I run out of the room. “Dammit. What the hell did you do, Kara?” I mutter to myself.

As we enter Coulson’s office, we over hear how Gonzalez and SHIELD was set up to look like we declared war on the Inhumans.

“We have another problem, Sir.” Hunter interrupts.

Everyone turns to us.

Fitz steps forward with tablet on hand to throw up the feed on the screens. “Agent Morse left the base with Agent May. 10 minutes later, Agent May leaves the base again with the team that went to Afterlife.”

Coulson turns to me. “It’s Kara?”

I nod. “I confided in you what happened with Kara on the phone last week.” I remind him without actually telling anyone anything.

“And what happened to dear old Kara?” Hunter growls.

“Hunter—” I start.

“No. That’s Bob, Ward. What are you not telling us?” He demands.

I turn to Coulson and he nods. I’m torn between Hunter and Kara. She’s not in her right mind right now. She wouldn’t actually hurt Bobbi. Would she?

“Ward?” Hunter is losing patience.

“When SHIELD fell, Kara was on a mission. She didn’t know who to turn to so she went to a SHIELD safe house. Hydra broke down the door and took her. Whitehall tortured and brainwashed her.” I explain.

“What does that have to do with Bob?”

I take a deep breath. “When Bobbi was undercover at Hydra, she needed to give information on SHIELD to prove she’d switched sides. She gave up the location of the safe house. The one Kara was in.”

I wait for the information to hit them.

“Bobbi couldn’t have known she was there. She wouldn’t have done that.” Hunter says through clenched teeth.

“I agree.” Coulson chimes.

“I urged her to speak to Andrew and Bobbi before I left,” I confess. “I thought it would help if she cleared the air with Bobbi.” I feel horrible. “I don’t think she’ll hurt her.”

Just then an Agent runs up to us. “Sir, we found Agent Bins with a broken neck. Last we knew, Sir, he was with Agent Kara.” 

I stop to stare at him. The information doesn’t make sense. I shake my head. “No. No, Coulson. This can’t be right. I know Kara. She wouldn’t do this. She was fine when I left.”

“All the scans we ran on her shows she was clear of any brainwashing.” Simmons speaks up. “Whatever this is—it’s by her own mind. It’s her own choices.”

“I don’t care. She must have had an episode or something. This isn’t Kara.” I argue.

It’s then that I see Simmons’ eye bulge. “Were you shot? Honestly Ward—” she strides towards me and grabs my shoulder. I contain my wince and roll my eyes.

“It’s fine, Simmons.” Now is not the time.

“I don’t really care. Sir, I need a pilot.” Hunter is done with the conversation and he starts out of the room.

“You’ve got me.” May steps up. “Kara made this personal.”

“I’m coming with you.” I walk behind them and we’re joined by three other men.

“Ward, your shoulder!” Simmons calls after me.

“It can wait.” I call back. Kara needs me. What the hell did she do?

We head to Spain where their quinjet logged off but there’s nothing there. There’s no sign of either of them. I haven’t spoken to Hunter. I can tell he doesn’t want to hear from me and it’s understandable. I’m responsible for bringing Kara along. Bobbi wouldn’t be missing now if it weren’t for Kara so I’m to blame in his mind.

I spend the time going over the last couple of weeks I spent with Kara. I’m trying to see if I missed something. Did I miss signs that she’d do this? We talked about closure but nothing like this. Andrew had said to talk to her, to approach Bobbi and ask her about it.

We’re already well on the way back when Hunter jumps in his seat. “Bobbi’s phone is back in service. If it stays on long enough I can get a location.”

I move off my seat to stand next to him. 

“It could be a trap, Hunter.” May speaks my thoughts.

“I don’t bloody care. This is Bob.” He pushes the call button and we the call comes in through the speakers.

The phone rings but nobody answers. It’s enough for a location. We turn back around and get ready. I don’t know what we’re going to find when we get there but I hope Kara hasn’t done anything to Bobbi.

We phone Coulson before we go dark but there’s no answer. May is leading this because Hunter is in not in any way shape or form to order anyone around.

We enter the building. Their only mission is to get Bobbi back. My mission is to get to Kara and talk her down.

We all separate to cover more ground.

It’s not long before I start hearing gun shots. I curse and pray Kara is not dead. But I pass two dead SHIELD agents and I know Kara has lost it.

“Kara?!” I call out because I’m done with this bullshit. “Kara! Dammit, where are you?!”

I turn the corner and find her snapping an agent’s neck. He drops and she turns to me with a smile, “Ward. You came to help me.”

Her smile is off. This is not a happy Kara, it’s a nutjob Kara. “Kara…” I move slowly to her, my gun low by my side.

She’s fast as she brings her gun up and shoots. I hear someone fall behind me and I turn to see another SHIELD agent drop to the floor.

Now, I raise my gun. “Kara, you need to stop. Put the gun down.”

“I wasn’t going to hurt you, Ward. SHIELD is here. We have to hurry. I have cameras set up. Come on. We can watch it happen.” She uses her gun to call me forward.

“Watch what happen, Kara?” I ask afraid of the answer.

“We’re going to watch Hunter die and Bobbi witness it.” Her eyes are glossed over and her smile hasn’t left her face.

I’m talking towards her, gun still pointed at her. “Kara. I need you to listen to me. OK? I need you to stop whatever it is you did with Hunter and Bobbi. This isn’t going to bring you closure.”

Kara finally notices the gun I have on her and her eyebrows go up in surprise. “You’re not here to help me, are you? You’re here with SHIELD.” She’s fast with her gun. She has it aimed at me again.

“Kara—”

“You’re with SHIELD?!” She’s angry. She looks betrayed.

“Kara, we’re trying to help you. Look, I don’t know what happened but we can help. Coulson knows what happened at the safe house. We can talk this over. We can talk to Andrew.”

“Talking won’t help! I was tortured and brainwashed because of her! SHIELD is our enemy! Why can’t you get that? How many people have to try to kill you, you idiot?!”

“Kara—”

“No! You just feel sorry for me. I’m not a dog, Ward. You don’t have to take care of me!”

“You’re my best friend, Kara.” I make my way to her as slowly as possible.

“I love you! You left me behind like some unwanted dog! I want action. I’m sick and tired of talking! Bobbi doesn’t care if she dies. I tortured her for hours and when it came down to it, she didn’t care. But I found her weakness, Ward. I’m going to go back and watch as she loses the love of her life.”

The look on her face is making me sick. This isn’t the same woman that I love and call my best friend. Because I do love her, I’m just not in love with her.

“Kara, don’t.” I warn.

“You’re weak and pathetic. I have to cut out my weaknesses.” She says before raising her gun to aim at my head and I shoot.

It’s like I’m not in my body. I can feel my hand pull the trigger and my body leading me towards her but I can’t control it.

I look down as her masks flickers and turns off, leaving Kara with her true burned up face. I can feel tears in my eyes as I gather her in my arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I whisper into her hair and then a gunshot pulls me from my position.

The shot is followed by Hunter’s screams.

I kiss Kara on the forehead before I leave her behind to run towards the screams.

“Bob. Come on. Look at me, Bob.” I can hear Hunter’s painful voice.

I enter the room after May and another SHIELD agent.

I look at the scene in front of me. Bobbi must have been strapped to the chair in the middle of the room. I gun is set behind her, aimed at whomever walked into the room. She looks like she leaned into it to save Hunter’s life.

Hunter turns to us ask for help and I see his face covered in Bobbi’s blood. Christ, he was that close to her and witnessed her get shot.

I shake my head because my mind automatically put itself in his position. How would I feel if that had been Skye?

May is helping Hunter and I move forward. I can carry Bobbi. It’s the least I can do. My shoulder burns and fights me but I set the pain to the back of my brain.

“Where is everyone?” May asks.

“Dead.” I answer.

“Kara?” She asks. She searches my eyes and finds her answer, giving me a sad nod. I can see pity in her eyes and I look away.

“We’ll need to send for the bodies.” It’s the only way I can answer. I feel numb.

Bobbi is losing too much blood. We get her into the quinjet just in time to stop the bleeding but she needs Simmons.

I sit next to May as Hunter is with Bobbi.

“What happened back there? You ok?” May asks.

My body is answering without my approval again. “She looked—crazy. She wouldn’t listen to me. It’s like she snapped.”

“You did what you could, Ward.” She reassures me.

“Did I?” I ask frowning. “I’m not completely stable myself, May. What if—what if I said something wrong when she was with me and I unconsciously did this to her? What if I planted a seed? What if I did more harm than good. I’m a fool to think I could help her.”

“Hey.” May’s tone makes me look at her. She holds my hand. “You weren’t responsible for that. She went through a lot. Her mind went through a lot. All you did was give her a home, Ward.”

I don’t answer her.

I think we’re all praying as we head back to base. I listen as May calls in and lets Fitzsimmons and Coulson know about Bobbi. 

As soon as we arrive, everyone springs to action. Simmons has a medical team to take Bobbi into surgery.

I risk looking at Hunter and I feel horrible. He looks lost and afraid as they wheel the woman he loves out of the room. He’s muttering about how she stopped breathing before we landed. The blood in his face is dry and it makes the scene look sadder to me.

It’s bleeding again and I hadn’t noticed. The stiches had torn when I’d picked up Bobbi and carried her. Someone is at my sad, pushing me toward the med bay.

“What?” I turn to ask and find Simmons pushing me.

“You are going to sit down and let me properly take care of that shoulder. You need proper stiches and maybe a transfusion.”

I shake my head. “I’m fine Simmons. Take care of Bobbie.”

“Don’t argue with me Grant Ward. Sit down and shut up. Bobbie has great doctors and surgeons looking over her. This will only take a minute.” She’s become so bossy.

I let the numbness of today take over and I sit in silence while Simmons works on my shoulder.

“It’s not your fault.” She says out of nowhere.

I look to her and she has a sad look in her eyes. 

“Kara made her choices, Ward.”

I shake my head. I don’t believe that. “She was with me after her brainwashing, Simmons. I’m not the most trustworthy. Something she saw or witnessed with me probably moved her to do this.”

“You turned your back on the man who you loved as a father because you couldn’t bare hurt Skye—hurt us. You saved Skye. You saved us. You’ve put yourself in danger a number of times and all we’ve done is held onto our anger and resentment. You had a chance to kill your brother—who abused you and your brother and you let him live. You are a good man. I don’t for a minute believe that Kara witnessed anything but love and kindness when she was with you.” I closed my eyes at her words. “Whatever happened to Kara when Hydra took her, changed her. Don’t blame yourself for her actions, Ward. You were only trying to help.”

It takes me a minute before I can talk. “Thank you, Jemma.”

She gives me a shy smile. “You’re done here. I’m going to go help with Bobbi.”

I nod and get off the table. Before I can leave, Simmons words stop me, “I’m sorry about Kara, Ward. I know you cared for her.”

I look down and shut my eyes. I give her a small nod and leave.

I have to go talk to Coulson. Kara and the others need to be picked up. She deserves to be buried by her family. My throat tightens once more and I clench my hands.

“Damn you, Kara.” And I fall against the wall, not able to hold my tears any more.


	14. Chapter 14:  Mr. Hydra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eek. Thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed and reached out to me about this story. It truly means a lot. Every time I try to step away or think I can’t write because I’m tired, reviews and messages fuel me to continue writing. I really want to finish this story but I still have some more chapters to write and some of those won’t be easy. I hope you all continue to read and comment.

WARD’S POV  
I find Coulson once I get control of myself. He looks like he’s putting a team together and I’m confused as to what’s going on. I must have taken longer to get myself together than I originally thought.

“Great.” He says relieved when he sees me. “Ward, how’s you arm? Are you ok to go on a mission?” He eyes me carefully.

“Sir? What’s going on?” I look around and everyone is in a flurry. All are in tactical gear and ready to go. Fitz is by Coulson’s side giving me sad eyes.

“The Inhumans have taken over our ship. I’m putting a team together to go get it back but it won’t be easy.” Coulson explains.

“Sir…” I’m torn. Do I go help Skye or go recover Kara? “I wanted to go pick Kara and the other agents up,” I explain.

He looks relieved once again and nods with understanding. “It’s done. The recovery team left about 10 minutes ago. We didn’t know where you were.”

“I’ll just get my bag.” I tell him as I turn and they all head into the jet.

I run into Simmons on the way back. She’s crying. I have no time but I stop anyway, “Jemma, are you ok?”

“You’re going with Coulson?” She asks as she wipes tears from her eyes.

I nod.

“Take care of Fitz for me, will you?” She looks frightened.

“I will.”

“Go. Go. They’re probably waiting for you.”

I give her one last look before I run out.

I’m surprised to see Cal on the jet when I arrive. I look at him confused and sit next to Fitz.

“Um…what’s Cal doing here?” I ask Fitz.

Cal looks like he’s humming to himself. He’s having the time of his life. If I didn’t know him any better, I’d be frightened by his actions.

“Oh. Right.” Fitz says turning to me. “You weren’t here. So, Cal came to try to kill us by orders of Jiaying and now he’s going to “help us” stop her.” Fitz used air quotes as he spoke. “I still don’t trust him. He was mad and destroyed the lab. He almost died and he’s acting like he nothing happened.”

I watch Cal as he watches Coulson and May.

Fitz is playing with a computer and starts to ignore me. After a while, Fitz calls for Coulson.

He explains to Coulson how there’s a code in the SOS signal. Our eyes meet and I know we’re thinking the same thing; it’s Skye.

“What does the code say?”

“It’s a trap.” Fitz looks from Coulson to me and back to Coulson. “What do we do, Sir?”

Coulson contacts the other teams and orders for them to fall back.

We’re going in alone. No back up.

As soon as we land, we’re getting our orders. Save the crew and free them. May is to head to Operations.

Skye sends another message about the crystals and Cal wants a go at Jiaying. He assures Coulson that it’s a family matter and he’ll take care of his wife.

Coulson doesn’t fully trust him. “Agent Ward.” He calls and I step forward. “Accompany Cal and help him get to Jiaying. Make sure those crystals don’t get released.”

“Yes, Sir.” I look at Cal and he smiles and slaps my back, right behind my bad shoulder. I curse under my breath and give him an angry look.

“Good to see you again, Ward. I can use him, Phil. Thanks.” 

He leads me off the jet and we set off to find the crystals and Jiaying.

We walk through a lot of empty halls and rooms. It takes us a while before we encounter anyone and when we do it’s Jiaying and one of her little drones. 

I smile because this will be easy. 

“Don’t let her get her hands on you.” Cal whispers to me.

I look from her to him and he gives me another warning. “Not even for a second.”

I nod.

She’s angry and knows instantly that Cal came with SHIELD. She gives me a disgusted look. “Who’s he?”

Cal smiles and slaps my shoulder again. “I thought you’d like to meet your future son in law.”

I throw Cal a look and roll my eyes. Yea. I wish.

I keep quiet as he warns her repeatedly about what she’s doing. He begs her to stop but she’s not hearing any of it. It’s her turn to warn him.

He tries one more time, this time bringing up Skye but he calls her “Daisy” and what her actions are going to do to Skye. Jiaying throws in his face that she’s doing what he couldn’t and that’s protecting her.

I hear a noise behind me but before I can turn, I feel someone’s arms on me and I’m inside a room looking at Cal and Jiaying though a small window. A moment later, Cal is in the room with me.

The damn guy with no eyes is quick.

It takes us a while to get out of the room, all the while, Cal is telling me exactly what Jiaying can do with her power. 

After we’re out, we encounter more of Jiaying’s followers but not all of them have powers so it’s easy to take them out. We head to the main deck as that’s where it looked like she was going.

I hope she’s not gone.

The sight we see stops us in our tracks. Jiaying is “draining” Skye as Cal called it. I feel pure panic and red-hot anger fills my body.

“Get to Daisy!” He calls to me as he runs to them and I’m right on his heels.

For a second, it looks like Skye is fighting it and might get away. But she instead uses her powers not to push Jiaying from her but to push Jiaying’s jet off the deck and into the ocean.

Skye’s powerful enough that the push she gave the jet also pushes Jiaying away. Her mother screams for her jet and cargo. She turns to Skye. She’s quick and out for vengeance.

Jiaying puts her hands back on Skye and I’m close enough now that I see Skye’s skin turn a greyish purple.

Cal yanks Jiaying from Skye as I catch her before she falls.

“You’re ok, Skye. You’re ok.” I hold her.

We both watch as Cal apologizes to his wife, tells her he loves her and crushes her body.

Skye is crying. I shush her and caress her hair. “Don’t look, sweetheart. Don’t look.”

She buries her face into my neck and lets her pain out. Skye’s hands grip and my shirt and she moves closer to me as she cries.

Cal looks lost as he holds Jiaying’s lifeless body in his arms.

I sit and marvel at Skye in my arms. I’ve waited so long to hold her like this. I wish it was under different circumstances but I’m happy she hasn’t pushed me away.

“I searched for them all my life, Ward.” She cries into me and I hold her tighter.

I can’t even imagine the pain she’s going through right now. Cal isn’t the sanest person but he means well…even after all the death and destruction. Jiaying…well, I can’t imagine what it must be like to have your mother manipulate you and then try to kill you.

And then there’s me. A mole—a killer, falling in love with her. Skye deserves so much better. But I’m going to sit here and hold her for as long as she’ll let me.

Eventually, the rest of the teams comes up. Coulson is bleeding heavily. He’s missing his left hand and May is escorting him into our jet as fast as she can.

Skye looks up with all the commotion and moves out of my arms. I stand and help her up. I look at it as a good sign when she lets me pull her to her feet.

We all run onto the jet and May calls ahead for medical.

Everyone is mostly silent.

Cal left Jiaying’s body and joins us on the jet. I’m guessing he doesn’t want to miss any more time with Skye. But I see him looking at his wife’s body up until the doors close and we can no longer see the deck.

Nobody talks in the way back to base. I realize Skye is sitting away from everyone and I make a move to go to her but Cal catches my arm. “Let her be for now.”

But I don’t listen because I can’t just leave her there.

I stop when I’m right by her side but I don’t sit. “Skye? Can I sit here?”

At first, I don’t think she heard me but she finally looks up at me. She shakes her head. “What did I do, Ward?”

I stay quiet because I don’t know what she’s asking.

“Everyone who I’ve ever trusted has lied to me. Why?” She might be demanding but there’s no power behind her words, just brokenness.

“Skye—”

“Miles.” She gives an empty laugh. “You.” She gives me a hard look. “My mom.” A tear falls and she wipes it out of the way. “Coulson. You…again.”

“I’m sorry, Skye.” I’m lost at what to say. I’ve gone over in my head a million ways this conversation would go but I never thought of this one.

“I just want to be alone for now. Ok? I just—I just can’t trust anything anybody says right now. Please—please leave me alone.” She begs me. 

“I promised I would never lie to you.” I remind her.

“But you did.” She’s crying again as she looks up to me. “And I was stupid enough to believe you. You lied about what you were really doing by omitting the truth, Ward. You don’t get a pass for that. You don’t get to draw the line. A lie is a lie. Leave me alone.”

I turn and take my original seat. I curse myself for not listening to Cal.

“Have you ever lied to Skye?” I ask Cal.

“I never hid who I was from her. I tried to change when I saw how much I scared her but I am who I am.” He gives me a sad smile.

“She shouldn’t be alone.” I tell him. “You don’t have to talk to her. Just sit with her.”

He looks at me for a long time. I don’t know what he’s searching for and I don’t know what he sees but after a moment, he gets up and sits with Skye.

She looks at him for a second but she doesn’t tell him to go.

I look at her with a sad smile and turn my attention away.

The next couple of days pass in a blur. There’s so many things going on. Bobbi made it out of surgery but has a couple more to go. The doctors haven’t even started working on her leg yet. Hunter hasn’t left her side.

Coulson has a surgery to deal with his hand. He puts Mack in charge of all the alien artifacts. He also has some of the Inhumans come to base to talk to them.

The guy we rescued, Lincoln, had talked to them before coming to meet Coulson. Word has it that he helped May out while on the ship. Apparently most Inhumans didn’t know what Jiaying was up to.

Skye convinces Coulson to give them another chance because they aren’t bad people. Coulson of course agrees. I think he does it more because Skye is talking to him again.

I think she might have forgave him for lying after she saw his hand and heard what happened. She thinks Coulson was the hero and her mother was the bad guy. I don’t think she and Coulson are back to normal but it’s a start.

I watch her from afar. I don’t want to be the one to approach her. I want her to have time to think things through. If she wants to talk to me then it should be entirely up to her.

I take responsibility for calling Kara’s family and letting them know she passed. I don’t tell them what happened. I just tell them it was a mission gone bad. Kara’s mother cries on the phone with me and thanks me for loving her daughter.

Kara had been in contact with her mother for months and had told her all about me. I feel awful but I ask Coulson if I can deliver her body to her family and he agrees.

I’m only gone for 3 days. Her mother arranged the funeral. I sit with her mom as Kara’s laid to rest and I say my goodbyes.

When I make it back to base, May is gone. Fitz tells me that she requested time off. He’s a little too chipper for what’s been going on so I ask him about it. He informs me that he’s going to ask Simmons to dinner and by the look on his face, I know it’s meant as a date. Before I go, he tells me Coulson wants to see me.

As I walk the halls, I find out Cal is going through the Tahiti program. Skye and Coulson decided on it and I think that’s best. I think I’ll see him off, so I turn their way. He’s leaving in a couple of minutes so I just made it back in time.

Skye is with him and I hesitate but he sees me and waves me forward.

“Grant Ward.” He extends his hand and I shake it. “It was nice meeting you. Thank you for all of your help.”

“See you around, Cal.”

“Watch her for me, won’t you?” He requests.

“Always.” Although I don’t know if she’ll even give me the chance.

I leave them and head to find Coulson. He’s talking to Andrew.

“Ward, come in.” Coulson is looking over some plans.

“How are you, Grant?” Andrew asks, eyeing me for a tell.

“I’m ok I think.” I look back to Coulson. “Sir, Fitz said to come find you.”

“I have an assignment for you but I want to know how good your cover still is.” Coulson sits and I take a seat next to Andrew.

“I want to move in on Gideon Malick. Do you think you’re still safe to go undercover?”

I shrug. “I think the only people who know I switched are all dead.” I answer honestly.

“I’ll send Hunter to help you as soon as I can get him to leave Bobbi’s side. Depending with how it goes with the Inhumans, I might send one to help you as well. I just want you to gather intel to begin with. If you have to move up ranks, do it.”

I eye him. He knows very well how Agents move up the ranks at Hydra. “You sure?”

“We all trust you Ward. I want the whole body cut off this time. Nobody with power. We can’t just cut the head this time around, we need to dispose of the body. Use your best judgement when you’re undercover.”

I nod. “Yes, Sir. I’ll gather my things.”

Andrew shakes my hand. “Don’t forget to call.”

I say goodbye to Fitz first and then go to Simmons. Although I have to look for her for a while. She’s holed up in a room with that damn rock again.

I stop by and say goodbye to Hunter. Bobbi is asleep. He’s forgiven me but I think that’s mostly because Bobbi made it out of surgery. I hope we can get back to how our friendship used to be but it’ll be a while.

I gather my things and head out. Skye is sitting in a chair near the exit. She probably hasn’t moved since they took Cal.

I slow my walk but don’t stop. I want to say goodbye but I know she’s still not talking to me.

I stop and hold my breath when I hear her call out, “Going somewhere?”

I try to keep myself in control. I cannot lose it just because she’s talking to me. I turn slowly, telling myself to memorize as much as I can of her because it’ll be a while before I see her again.

“I’ve got do to some things for Coulson.” Is all I answer.

“Are you coming back?” She’s not giving anything away. She’s got her May eyes on.

“Yea. Just gotta do some recon.” I keep it light.

She gives me a small nod and a tight smile. “See you around.”

“Yea…see you.”

She turns to go and turns back. “Good luck out there.”

I’m speechless as I walk out. I shed my skin and turn myself back into Hydra Ward. The skin feels itchy but I’m a master at deception. I can do this. I pull from my memory everything John ever taught me and I form a plan.

It only takes me a day or so to find a Hydra bar and some lackies. I remember Kebo well. I met him when I was younger. He always put me at ease but I know what kind of man he is. He’s exactly what I need to start making trouble.

I start barking orders. He’s the first to step up and challenge me. “I heard you worked with SHIELD not too far back. Want to explain?”

I give him my most bored look. I roll my eyes. “Not really. The Director caught me and my partner in a bad corner. Didn’t give us much of a choice. I slipped out of his grasp as soon as I saw an opening. Any other questions?” I bark the last part, really losing patience with these men.

“Yea.” Kebo challenges again. “Where’s your partner?”

The jaw clenches and my hands ball into fists. “Dead.” I look him straight in the eye.

“At who’s hands?” He asks curious.

“SHIELD’s.” I answer. I’m not lying.

After a second, he asks, “What do you need?”

I ask me to find me men because I need a team around me. He nods and gestures for the men to follow him.

3rd PERSON POV  
“Jemma is gone and Fitz is losing it!” Daisy argues with Coulson for the 3rd time that day.

“I’m aware Skye—”

“It’s Daisy.” She reminds him with irritation in her voice. “My name is Daisy.”

“I’m sorry—Daisy.” Coulson corrects himself. They’re both in the hanger with Mack and Hunter. Daisy, Hunter and Mack had just come back from a mission. “What exactly are you arguing with me about this time?”

“This is no time to have us split up. Fitz is going insane trying to find Simmons. May is still gone. Bobbi isn’t back to 100%. We need more bodies. Why is Ward still out there?” She points to nowhere in particular.

Mack gives Hunter the ‘here we go again’ look.

Hunter looks bored.

“We’re arguing about Ward now?” Coulson tries not to smile.

“Don’t.” Daisy warns him. “This is not about me. He’s been gone for 2 months, Coulson. Why isn’t he here? We need bodies. All of you have gone on and on about how we can trust him. If you trust him then why isn’t he here?”

“I have told you that he’s on assignment.” Coulson doesn’t know that he should tell her that Ward is back undercover with Hydra.

Daisy narrows her eyes at him. She sees guilt in Coulson’s eyes and her jaw drops. “You wouldn’t—” She cuts herself off and turns to Hunter. “You.”

Hunter looks dodgy. “What in the hell did I do?” His hands are up like he’s been caught.

“Where do you go when you aren’t out there with me looking for Inhumans?” Daisy steps closer to Hunter and searches his eyes. “You’re helping him, aren’t you? You’re helping him because nobody knows you as SHIELD.” Daisy turns from Hunter to Coulson.

“Sk—Daisy,” Coulson catches himself from calling her the wrong name again, “listen, I—”

“He’s back at Hydra?! Why? I thought they were all but finished.” The three men take a step back from Daisy. She looks more hard core now that May is gone and she’s comfortable with her powers. 

Daisy didn’t stop training because May was gone. She’d hit the gym twice, sometimes three times a day. SHIELD had lost May and Bobbi and they needed some muscle. Mack would count as the muscle only he hates hitting people.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised. He’s just a damn coward.” Daisy curses under her breath. She turns to Coulson before she leaves the hanger, “It’s about time you use him for something else other than under cover at Hydra. He won’t be able to forgive himself if he keeps surrounding himself with those people. He’s in a constant state of reminder of what he did to us. Pull him out, Coulson.”

To that, Coulson could say nothing. He’d never looked at it from that point of view. He retreated to his office and called Andrew.

“So, how’s it going with Ward?” Mack waited until both Coulson and Daisy to leave before he turned to Hunter.

“He’s moving up. He’s got a group of men working for him but Malick is holding back, not really acknowledging him. Ward calls me when Hydra needs someone to disappear. They don’t know I’m bringing them to SHIELD to go into our witness protection. At least I get some action from time to time. I hate getting calls about these Inhumans and having those damn men in black getting to them first.” Hunter responds as he gathers his bags. “I’m gonna go look in on Bob.”

WARD’s POV  
“It’s hard keeping up with your girl sometimes, mate. She has no patience for anyone unless they’re bloody Inhuman.” Hunter stalks in banging his bag around.

I look around to make sure nobody heard him. “Be more careful with the things you say around here.” I remind him under my breath.

Hunter just rolls his eyes and throws himself on a chair. “Whatever you say, oh mighty Hydra Lord.” He gives a salute and a sarcastic grin.

Only Hunter can give people sarcastic looks so spot on.

I snap my fingers and my men look up. I motion for them to exit the room.

When all the men had exited, I turn back to Hunter. “What did she do now?” I try to look bored, like it doesn’t matter but I crave information. Coulson and I are strictly on emergency contact. The only information I get is now from Hunter.

“Nothing really. She gets annoyed when we don’t get to an Inhuman in time. Have you found out who these people are? We keep coming up blank.”

I shake my head. “They’re not Hydra. They’re not with any group my men could find. I think they’re with the government. I’m still sending out moles. We should know something soon. How many Inhumans have you found?”

“Three.” Hunter is digging dirt out of his nail and I look at him in disgust.

“How many has Andrew approved?”

“None. Which is another reason she’s so moody. She had yet another argument with Coulson. Four months she’s been arguing with him about you being here. Fitz is usually gone. Simmons has been gone for 4 months and he won’t give up. You’d think Daisy would ease up now that May is back.” I listen as Hunter rambles on about the going ons of SHIELD.

I’m grateful that May is back. I worry about Fitz with Jemma being gone. I’ve tried to dig up as much as I can on that damn rock but I’ve come up empty. I worry she might be dead.

I hear a big commotion outside and look up to Kebo barging into the room. Hunter is on his feet by my side.

“Sir, we have someone here. He made it past most of the guards. He’s a known SHIELD agent. Says he’s here to talk to you.” Kebo gives me a hard look and drags a body through the door.

Dammit Fitz. What the hell are you doing here?!

Hunter curses under his breath behind me.

“Who’s this?” Fitz points at Hunter.

Kebo punches Fitz in the gut. “We ask the questions.”

I take a minute to look Fitz over. He’s matured in the last four months. He doesn’t look scrawny and more but doesn’t seem to have gained any weight either. It’s his clothes. The way he’s carrying himself.

Fitz stands after he catches his breath. “What do you say I talk to your boss for a moment. Yea?” He turns to me.

“Fitz.” I take a few steps towards him. I look to Kebo and the other men. “Was he alone?”

“Yes, Sir.” Kebo pushes Fitz forward. “You want us to take care of him, Sir? Or do you want to have some fun first?”

“Check the perimeter. Make sure he is indeed alone.” The men behind Kebo empty out but Kebo stays in place. I smile and turn back to Fitz. “I’m surprised you’re here Fitz. What is SHIELD up to?”

“You think they’d send me in if they wanted you? I’ve been on my own for a while. I’m desperate and need some intel so I came to you.” Fitz’s working is careful and has some strength behind it. He’s a man on a mission and won’t be deterred. 

“Me? Why me?” I chuckle and walk away. Hunter stands between us.

“Talk your guard dog off, will you? Does he bite?” Fitz points at Hunter and I want to laugh.

“I do more than bite.” Hunter spits in what I can tell is fake anger.

“You owe me, Ward.” Fitz throws out.

I look at Kebo and signal for him to leave. He nods and steps out.

As soon as the door is closed, Hunter drops his guard. “What the hell are you doing here Fitz? You about gave me a heart attack.”

“I don’t have time. Ward I need you to give me a case of splinter bombs.” Fitz waves off Hunter’s question.

I look from Fitz to Hunter. I’m missing something here. “Fitz what are you doing here? And why on earth would I give you splinter bombs?”

“Look I got a lead on what the Monolith is and the guy who I have to get the information from would take it as payment.”

“Woah. Woah. I’m not giving you splinter bombs to put out there in the hands of some nut. Who is this guy and where? I can get my guys there and get the information for you.” I look to Fitz and see if I’m reaching him.

I’m not. His mind is set. “I’m not about to give splinter bombs to some damn terrorist, Ward. I know what I’m doing. I wouldn’t actually give them to him. I’m not an idiot.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and bring my hands together. “Fitz, just give me the information. It’s too dangerous for you. I can get the intel and bring it back to you. Shouldn’t you be on base?”

I see the tell in his eyes. Nobody knows he’s here.

“Bloody hell, Fitz. Are you telling me nobody knows where you went? Do you have any back up?” Hunter looks as frustrated as I feel.

I shake my head. 

“Bobbi started covering for me. OK? Are you happy? I just know this intel can lead me to Jemma. I have to try.” Fitz explains.

“Where are you going?” I ask again.

“Morocco.” He answers like it’s no big deal.

“Morocco? Fitz.” I feel like laughing.

Kebo barges in. “Nobody from SHIELD, boss. He came alone.”

“Good.” I step up and punch Fitz in the stomach. “Get off my base. Come back in two weeks. I should have what you need. But this is a trade. Bring me back something of worth. If I like it, you leave with what you want. Kebo, show him out.”

“But—” Fitz starts to say over his shoulder. 

“It’s my only deal. You either take it or you leave in a body bag.” I use my harshest tone.

“I’ll be back in two weeks.” Fitz doesn’t hide the anger behind his words and Kebo finally gets him out the door.

I turn to Hunter. “Make sure he makes it out and none of these guys get any ideas.”

Hunter shakes his head as he starts walking out. “What the bloody hell is he getting himself into?”

“I don’t know but we’re going to have to watch his back. I’m afraid if Coulson knows, Fitz will only get more desperate. I don’t need you for now. Stay with Fitz back on base.”

Hunter salutes on his way out and I just roll my eyes.

I send Hunter a message to tell Fitz to bring something that looks lethal but is on the safe side. Hydra has enough lethal weapons.

Two weeks later, Kebo is arguing with me about why we shouldn’t be trading with Fitz.

“Just bring him in.” I bark at him.

I make the exchange with Fitz once he shows me what he has. “After this, we’re even. I don’t owe you anything. If you come onto my base again, I’ll make sure you regret it.” I warn.

Fitz takes his splinter bombs and leaves.

“Kebo, send some men after him. He saved my life twice while in SHIELD. Make sure he doesn’t die. Give him some backup.”

Kebo looks confused and angry. “You want us to give SHIELD backup?”

“That’s not SHIELD. That is a man who lost the woman that he loves. Now, I owe him for saving my life. After this is done, we’re even. I have a debt to pay. I don’t like being questioned. Make sure the men you send don’t hurt him or I will kill them. Do I make myself clear?” I threaten.

Kebo’s demeanor changes. He nods. “Yes, boss.” He looks to some men and gestures for them to follow him. “Come on.”

I take a deep breath, hoping I haven’t made a big mistake. If Fitz doesn’t want SHIELD to have his back then I’m going to do my damnedest to protect him.

Good luck, Fitz.


	15. Chapter 15: Roz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: A million thank you’s to those who have reached out through messages and or reviews. I get super excited when I see the notifications. I wanted to write this story because if Marvel wasn’t going to give Grant Ward redemption, then I was going to do it for them. I’m grateful for his small part in the Framework but it wasn’t enough because he couldn’t go back with the team. I hope you continue to like where I take this story.

WARD’s POV  
Malick has been working in the shadows and I’m almost certain he’s about to make a move on me. The last couple of months, I’ve been bent on taking out any heads trying to creep up on Hydra. I wasn’t going to let them get any more power.

My men think I’m taking out men and their followers to gain more power for myself. That’s what I want them to think. I don’t want them to know that those people I’ve killed aren’t really dead but sitting in SHIELD prisons across the world. It’ll be easier to finally put an end to Hydra once we get rid of Malick.

I finally find Strucker’s kid on a yacht. I’m using him to get to Malick. I know Malick has been watching him, so I’m going to turn the tables on him.

I give the kid what he thinks he needs, a connection to his no-good, piece of shit father.

It doesn’t take me long to realize that Malick has been more than watching Strucker. He’s actually made contact and using the kid to try to get some intel from me.

It pisses me off and the only thing that calms me is a text that I get from Fitz. I got her. She’s home. Thanks for the help.

I sigh in relief and plan on what to do about my little mole.

“Kebo.” I call him. He’s beating up a guy. Don’t exactly know who or why but I let it go. I gesture for him to follow me.

“Yea, boss?”

“I need you to follow Strucker. Don’t let anyone know.”

“Strucker? What’s he done?” Kebo asks. He follows me but he always has questions.

I clench my jaw and take a deep breath. “He’s a mole. He’s working for Malick. I want to know what he’s doing and who he’s meeting. Go. Do it now.”

“Will do. You want me to just beat it out of him?” He looks like that’s exactly what he wants to do.

I shake my head. “I want to know what the hell he’s up to first.”

Kebo nods and walks out.

It takes a day for Kebo to get back to me.

I answer his call immediately. 

“Talk to me, Kebo?”

“Sir, he’s been going to a Psych class at the University.”

I freeze. No. No, it’s just a coincidence. “How many classes?”

“Just one.”

“Who’s class, Kebo?”

“Garner.”

I close my eyes and try to breath. “Stay on him.”

I hang up on Kebo and call Coulson.

“Ward? What’s going on?” Coulson sounds worried as he should because I haven’t called him since I left. He’s always initializing these calls.

“Sir, we have a big problem. You need to get someone to Andrew immediately.”

“What? Why?” Coulson asks.

“Malick has someone following him. I don’t know why yet. But it can’t be a coincident that this mole working for Malick is taking Andrew’s class.”

“Got it. Hold on.” I can hear him talking away from the phone. “Daisy, take Mack and meet Rosalind. I’m almost done here.”

“Is that Ward?” I close my eyes as I hear Skye’s voice from afar. She sounds pissed.

“I gave you orders, Agent Johnson.” Coulson is quiet for a minute. “I’ll put a detail on Andrew. Do you know how long they’ve been following him?”

“No idea, Sir.”

“You know, she only ever argues with me when it comes to you.” I can hear a smile as he says this.

“Why?” I asked confused.

“She wants you out of Hydra. Says you’re never going to forgive yourself if I keep you undercover there.”

I frown. “That’s not exactly why I can’t forgive myself. Besides, I’m the only one who can do this job. And I’m close to being done. Malick is the last faction of Hydra out there besides me. Once he’s gone, we’re free to take my base and it’ll be done for good.”

 

“Great job, Agent Ward. Thank for the information. I’ll see you soon.”

I hang up and try not to dwell on the fact that Skye wants me back on base. But I can’t pull the smile off my face for the rest of the day.

A WEEK LATER  
3RD PERSON POV  
“I’m telling you, I saw him turn back into a man. He won’t hurt May.” Skye argued.

“He’s still changing, Daisy. He won’t always be able to change back to his human form. Once the completion is done, the man you know will cease to be. There will only be Lash. And we don’t know when that will happen.” Lincoln tried to explain why this was dangerous.

Coulson stops what he’s doing and turns to Lincoln. “How will we know when he turns for the last time? Could he know if he was human? Could he warn us?”

Lincoln shakes his head. “I don’t know. But I don’t think we can talk him down. When he’s Lash, he’s out to kill. We can’t take the chance that he will listen when he’s Andrew.”

Once Rosalind is off the phone, both her and Coulson start planning and giving orders. There’s activity everywhere. Everyone knows for this to work and capture Lash it will have to be a team effort.

Rosalind tells her team that this op is being lead by Coulson and everyone gets in position as soon as they land and enter the building.

Everyone gets to their positions and Coulson enters the room that May and Andrew are in. He finds them hugging. 

“May? You ok?” Coulson ever so slowly moves towards them.

May nods as Andrew turns to Coulson. “You think I would hurt her? I would NEVER hurt Melinda.” Andrew stops between May and Coulson.

“I wouldn’t think you’d kill anyone either, Andrew. We know what you turn into.” Coulson side steps Andrew to get a better look at May.

While Coulson talks to Andrew, nobody notices Lincoln falling out of position and making his way to where Coulson, Andrew and May are. Everyone is on the same page except for Lincoln. He is not ATCU or SHIELD. He has his own agenda and he attacks Lash. Lash doesn’t go down and chases after Lincoln. All hell breaks loose almost immediately. 

Lash is quick to kill four men from the ATCU before May is able to shoot him into the module that they set up for him.

“Coulson, I’m sorry. I should have followed your lead back there.” Lincoln apologizes when everyone is back in the air.

Daisy offers a small smile.

Lincoln turns his gaze from Coulson to Daisy. “I’m sick of running. I think I can stick around for a while.”

May and Rosalind are having their own conversation about Andrew. May is asking what exactly Rosalind can do for Andrew.

“This is an opportunity for you, Agent May. This will slow his transformation, giving us time to find a cure for Andrew. I can’t pretend to understand what you’re going through but for what it’s worth…if I had the chance to save someone I loved, it’d take it.”

Daisy has gone to stand by May and puts her hand on her shoulder to offer comfort.

May looks up at Skye and asks, “what would you do?”

“Well…it’s a temporary solution. But Andrew helped me. So, I’d do whatever it takes.” Skye answers truthfully.

Coulson makes a move towards May but she’s already walking away. “Do it.” She instructs.

Rosalind turns to Daisy and gives her a long look. “Thank you for what you did back there. You saved my life.”

Daisy nods and looks to Coulson who is still watching Rosalind. She smiles at him and decides to leave them alone for a bit. She looks at them both and decides that maybe she should give the idea of them together another shot.

2 WEEKS LATER  
WARD’S POV  
I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. It had been weeks since the incident with Strucker and since then Malick had finally emerged from the shadows.

I think about the meeting when we met and how he proposed we join forces. There was no option but to do it. Malick has a ton money and resources. More than I have. There was no other choice. I had to say yes.

I watch my men because I’m no idiot. I see their alliances slowly changing. They fear me but Malick is Hydra royalty. The longer I’m joined with him, the less control I have of these men.

Even Kebo has taken time away from me to guard Malick. Some of his men don’t even look at me. I look at them closely because they whisper. They’re trying to hide something from me.

Malick wants two men killed. He’s asked me if I can take care of it or if I’d like to bring someone else in. Implying I don’t want blood on my hands. I know who these men are. The world will be a better place. I agree and take down both targets.

Both kills earn me points and respect with his men but I keep watch.

Hunter is staying away for the time being. I don’t know how much Malick knows about him and I’d rather be safe than sorry. 

I heard about Andrew from Fitz and Hunter. I feel awful and I rack my brain again now, going over the last couple of months—trying to find some clue that he’d changed. He’d grown quiet when he and May had split and I hadn’t pushed the subject. I should have made more of an effort.

Hunter who likes to gossip also tells me Coulson has a new “lady friend” as he calls it, by the name of Rosalind Price. She works for the ATCU and it looks like Coulson is really into her. I’m happy for him. In all this crazy, he deserves it. Hunter tells me that he and Bobby are back together and that she asked for her wedding ring back. He seems more at peace with that relationship. I don’t take it well and get off the phone when he tells me Lincoln is with SHIELD. I don’t want to think about why and what his relationship with Skye is.

I distract myself with the new recruits instead. I scare them for a couple of hours and the ones who withstand all my abuse are welcomed by the team already there.

I’m at the warehouse talking to new recruits when Kebo walks in and looks surprised to see me. “I thought you were on assignment, boss?”

I frown. I tell the recruits to scram and ask, “Why?”

Kebo shrugs. “Malick had me look for a sniper. When I asked why you weren’t taking care of it he said you were busy.”

The pit of my stomach is screaming at me that something is horribly wrong. “Who’d you call in? Who’s the target?”

“Sokolov. Female target by the name of Price or Peirce. Something like that.”

I hide my horror and shock. “When is it going down?”

Kebo looks at his watch. “30 minutes.”

DAMMIT! I grab my jacket and head out. “Send me the location.” I yell over my shoulder and run to a jet. As soon as I know I’m not being overheard, I call Coulson’s cell phone.

The phone rings and rings with no answer. 

I get behind the wheel of the jet and I shoot out of there. My phone pings and I enter the coordinates that Kebo has sent me.

I call Hunter.

“Hey, mate. What’s going on?” He sounds like he’s been drinking.

“Hunter, where is Coulson?!”

“Why?”

“Hunter!” 

“Will you stop screaming?”

“Dammit, Hunter. This is an emergency. I need to talk to Coulson.”

“Hang on.” I curse when I hear Hunter moving around.

“Hunter? Hunter?!” I yell and he doesn’t answer. I can still hear things in the background so I know he hasn’t hung up.

After a minute, I hear Hunter say, “Mate, have you got any idea where Coulson is?”

“No. Why?” I hear Fitz’s voice.

“Hello?!” I try again. It was like talking to children with these two.

“Ward. Damn stop with the yelling. You’re on speaker. Fitz is here. We don’t know where Coulson is.” Hunter explains.

“Listen to me, dammit! Malick put out a hit on Rosalind. It’s going down any minute now. You need to get someone over there now. Do you hear me?! Do it now!”

“Why is Ward yelling?” Comes Skye’s voice. “What the hell is going on?”

 

“Skye! Skye, you need to get to Coulson. Fitz and Hunter will explain. Make sure he gets the information. I’m about 15 minutes out. I’m going to do my best. But if you are closer, do something!” I hang up the phone as Hunter and Fitz both start telling her what’s going on.

I hang up with them and try Coulson again. It rings but goes to voicemail.

I make one more call. “May.”

“Ward? What is it? What’s going on?” She hears my panic and is already on alert.

“Where’s Coulson?” 

“Having dinner with Rosalind. Why?”

“Fuck! May get someone over there now. Gideon put a hit out of Rosalind. If Coulson is there, they’ll take that shot.”

May curses. I don’t usually know her to do that.

“What’s you’re location?”

“Maybe 10 minutes out. Get someone there May. If by some miracle that shot is missed, Malick will have a ground team.”

“I’m on it.” The line goes dead.

I land the jet as quickly as I can but I do it away from the location because there’s no room on the roof.

I run and hope I make in time.

My gun is in hand as I make my way to the roof. Alexander Sokolov is one of the best snipers working for Hydra.

I arrive at the roof, take a deep breath and go out looking everywhere for Sokolov. I make sure I’m extremely quiet as I search for him.

I spot him at the moment that he takes his shot.

I curse and don’t realize I’ve done it out loud until he turns to me. I shoot but he’s already rolling for cover.

I drop when I see a gun aimed at me.

I make my way to him as he makes his way to me. We both strike at the same time and as we fight, our guns are lost on the ground. Instead of looking for them, we lunge back at each other. I dodge his kicks but he lands some punches and a head butt. I wrestle him to the ground.

He takes the opportunity to elbow me in the gut and then the face. I can feel my face bleeding. He’s hit me pretty hard. As we struggle on the ground, he grabs for the gun and I grab the knife at my ankle. I stab him in the leg because it’s the closest thing to me. He kicks me in the face and stabs me with a knife of his own. It hits my arm.

After about another minute, I have the upper hand or think I do until I see the gun in his hand. Out of instinct, I throw my hand out and realize just after it’s done that I’ve sliced his throat open.

I’m covered in both my blood and his. He lies dead on me and I roll him away, trying to catch my breath. It takes me a minute to notice that my phone is ringing.

I answer without looking at who’s calling.

“Hello?”

“Is he dead?” Coulson’s voice is flat. There’s no emotion there.

“Yes, sir.” I look at Sokolov and know that he hit his target. All of a sudden, I don’t feel bad for slicing his throat. “I need a clean-up team.”

“Send May your location.” Coulson says before hanging up.

I close my eyes and breathe. I have to calm down. Coulson is safe. He’s heartbroken but safe. There was nothing I could have done. I came as quickly as I could. I called the right people. I tried to reach him. I took out Sokolov. I did what I could. So, why do I feel like shit?

I send my location to May and stay put. I focus on exercises I used to do with Andrew and tried to keep my mind clear.

I have to hand it to SHIELD. They arrive quickly.

“Clean up—what the bloody hell?” Hunter’s voice pulls me into a sitting position.

He’s looking at all the blood. “You ok, mate? You made a mess. How much of that blood is yours?”

Bobbi and Fitz come up behind him.

“Ward? Are you ok?” Fitz asks me and I’m confused as to why he’s asking. I’m not the one with the sliced throat.

“Here.” Bobbi gives me a hand as I get up and I don’t see any anger in her eyes towards me. I don’t think she blames me for Kara.

Bobbi looks me up and down and the expression clearly said she was disgusted. I look down and realize I have a lot of blood on me. I must have laid next to Sokolov for longer than I thought.

I watch Hunter and Fitz as they start moving the body. I can’t seem to make my body move to help. I feel frozen to this spot.

Far off I can hear Bobbi. “I think maybe he’s in shock.”

“I told Coulson to pull him out. I knew something like this would happen.” Another voice—a familiar voice sounds angry but worried. I know I should know it but I can’t seem to place it.

And now, Skye is standing right in front of me. Her hands on each side of my face. “WARD!” She’s looking me in my eyes. Slowly, I blink and acknowledge that she’s standing here. She lets out sigh of relief.

“Are you hurt?” She asks me.

I shake my head and as I do, I feel a slight pain on the side of my head. I reach for the spot and pull back my hand. I’m bleeding but only just. And that’s when I remember I’ve been stabbed in the arm.

Skye notices my injuries as a little quicker than I do and she looks pissed. She looks at me up and down but unlike Bobby, she’s assessing my injuries. I feel like an idiot.

Something she sees drives her over the edge. “Why aren’t you wearing a vest? Why aren’t you in any tactical gear?”

I’m confused. I never go out without any gear. I touch my chest and there’s no vest there like she’s stated. I run through my memory of the events. “I had no time. When I found out what was going on—I just ran. I had no time. I didn’t get here in time to—I couldn’t save her. She’s dead. Isn’t she?” Something in my voice changed Skye’s expression.

“Hey. You saved Coulson. We can’t save everyone, Grant.”

Having her speak my name, brings life into my body. Everything that’s happened crashes over me. “Dammit. I have to get back to base. I’m going to have to explain where I went and why Sokolov is going to be missing.”

I look for my gun because I know it’s somewhere at our feet. I’m going to have to wash up before I step foot back on base. But how do I explain my injuries without raising suspicion.

“Are you crazy? You can’t go back there?” Skye yells at me. She’s back to being mad.

“I have to. I have to finish this.”

“Finish what, Ward?!” Skye asks. Her voice is going up in octaves. 

“Maybe we can help you come up with something—” Hunter starts.

“No!” Skye is louder now. “No! He’s not going back. You are not going back.” She turns to Fitz and Hunter. “Get done as fast as you can. Bobbi, go to Ward’s jet and turn off the tracker on it. Hydra can’t find that jet. Bring it back to the Playground, we’ll meet your there.”

I watch as everyone follows her orders without questions. I know my mouth is hanging open but I can’t help it. None of this makes sense.

“No. I have to go back to Hydra. I’m not finished.” I argue, finally stepping toward her.

“You’re done.” She doesn’t back down from me or my stare. “You said you ran out of there when you found out. That’s when you called us, right?”

I nod.

“Their sniper is dead, Ward. If you come back in that jet they can see where you’ve been. The cuts and bruises are proof that you were in a fight. When they start looking for him,” she points to Sokolov, “what do you think is going to happen? You’re done. We’re all going home.”

Damn. She’s hot when she’s demanding and assertive. I roll my eyes at my own thoughts. When do I ever not think she looks hot?

She’s barking orders at Fitz and Hunter again.

Fitz is smiling and Hunter looks like he’s scared to say anything.

Back on their quinjet, I stay quiet. I don’t know what to say to Skye. Do I thank her? Argue? Agree? Disagree?

I don’t know when Skye called May but when we land at the Playground, May is coming out with a field team. 

“You ready?” May asks Skye. 

Skye nods. “How is he?”

May shrugs. “He holed up in his office as soon as he got back. Only talked enough to approve the strike.” May turns to Hunter and I notice Bobbi coming towards us. “Hunter. Bobbi. You’re with us.”

Hunter, Bobbi, May, Skye and the rest of the men are walking onto the jets.

“Wait. What’s going on?” I ask.

“We’re taking out your base.” May looks back to me.

“Only half the people are there. There are others with Malick.” I try to contain my anger. This should be my op.

“Go get yourself checked out by medical. We’ll be back.” May’s cold voice is not to be messed with.

But dammit, I will not be ordered around any more tonight. I’ve let Skye and that’s only because I love her dammit. May might be able to kick my ass but I have to see this through. “I’m going.”

“Absolutely not.” Skye snaps. “You might have a concussion and your arm is—”

“I said I’m going.” I turn away from her and get onto the jet.

I can see Skye fuming from the corner of my eye but I ignore it. I find a first aid kit take a seat. I have to patch this up before we get to my base.

“Lincoln, hand me my bag.” I hear Skye’s voice turn from anger to calm.

The hairs on my back stand up. Lincoln is here. I force myself not to look up and look for him. I don’t want to see his face. I don’t want to watch the way he looks at Skye. Will he have an obnoxious smile on his face because Skye is his?

I grip the kit in my hands and focus on going to work.

I see Skye approach me from the corner of my eyes and don’t acknowledge her until she’s standing right in front of me.

She has a vest in her hands that she’s giving me. I take it from her. She pulls her bag from her back and opens it. She looks like she’s struggling on what to say. “I found—I—here. You might want these back.” She shoves two guns into my hands and she walks away.

I don’t look down until I see her sit next to Lincoln. The two guns I’m holding are mine. They were my favorite. I’d left them at Providence and forgotten all about them. I remember the time I told Skye that they were my favorite. She’d laughed at me saying that guns were guns and I couldn’t possibly have favorites.

But I liked the way these two fit in my hand. I liked the weight. I like the pressure when I pulled the trigger.

How did she get these? Has she been using them? Or did she just put them in her bag to give back to me? A smile appeared on my face. No matter the reason, she’d held on to them. She’d either used them or held onto them for me. She wouldn’t do that if she hated me.

Taking out the Hydra base wasn’t easy. I knew all the exits and the way the men fought. I knew the weapons they used and where they kept them. Most of them went down without much of a fight but there were some who fought tooth and nail.

Kebo was one of those. He eventually went down though. We were able to grab all the weapons and make sure the ones who were alive were knocked out. They were on their way to prison now. I was surprised at how many agents were there. 

 

“There was more there than when I left. Which I guess it’s a good thing. Malick might have another 50 with him though. We have to find him fast or he’ll mobilize and recruit more.” I tell Hunter and May as we land back at the Playground.

“That’s tomorrow problem, mate. I want to get a good night’s sleep.” Hunter rubs the back of his head.

I’m exhausted. I should probably go and get checked by Simmons.

“Good work out there.” May dismisses the team.

“I’m going to check on Coulson.” I hear Skye and automatically turn. She’s talking to Lincoln who’s standing just a little too close to her if I do say so myself.

“Maybe you should leave him be for a while.” Lincoln offers and I roll my eyes.

This guy obviously doesn’t get Coulson and Skye’s relationship yet.

“No. I’m going to go see him. I’ll see you later.” Skye steps away from Lincoln and walks away.

I’m not being as slick as I think I’m being because Lincoln turns to look at me. He knows I’ve been watching him.

“Hey.” He approaches me.

“Hey.” I want no part of this conversation but there’s no avoiding it.

“Are you here for Daisy?” He asks and looks at like he’s trying to figure me out.

I shake my head because I want to laugh. He had no right to ask me that question. Boy is territorial. “Are you?”

My question catches him off guard and by his facial expressions, I can tell that Skye’s the only reason he’s here.

“Stay away from her. She’s been through enough.” He warns.

I chuckle. “You don’t have to tell me that. I know her. I’m a part of this team whether you like that or not. Now excuse me. I have to get Simmons to look me over.” I wave to him as I walk out. There’s no point in talking to him.

I look around and can’t find her or Fitz.

The big guy who I know is Mack comes towards me. I haven’t officially met him. “Mack, right?”

I extend my hand and he shakes it. He nods. “It’s nice to meet you. It was damn good news when I found out you were on our team.” He looks me over. “Are you ok? You look like you need a medic.”

“Yea. I’m looking for Simmons but I can’t seem to find her or Fitz. Have you seen them around?” He looks like an alright guy.

“You missed them. After what happened to Rosalind, they went with an agent from the ATCU about some leads. They should be back in a couple of hours.”

I nod and head back to the med bay to find someone to patch me up. I learn I don’t have a concussion and they have to clean out the stab wound but it’s a quick patch job.

I need sleep but I should find Coulson. I dread seeing him, knowing he lost someone because I got there too late.

I find him in his office, looking at a bloody match book. “Sir?”

He looks up. “Agent Ward. I’m glad you’re back. Daisy and May caught me up with what happened at the base. You did fine work, son.” His smile doesn’t reach his eyes.

I’m so confused. “But—but I couldn’t—I didn’t make it—I’m sorry.” I stumble with my words because I can’t believe I let him down again. He’s trusted me so many times and I keep letting him down.

He’s frowning now. “That wasn’t on you, Ward. You did everything you could. You did everything right. You tried to call me. You called the team and you got to that roof as fast as you could. Don’t put that on you. I actually have to thank you. Your quick actions saved my life. Gideon Malick killed Roz. Not you.” He rests his hand on my shoulder. “Get to bed, Agent Ward. Nobody has taken your bunk. All your stuff is there. We’ll talk in the morning.”

I nod and walk out, finally heading to bed. I sure hope tomorrow is a better day. We’ve had nothing but crap happen for so long that we need a little sunshine.

I get to be around Skye again. I’m not going to ruin it this time. She doesn’t hate me. I can be ok with just being her friend or teammate. I will not punch Lincoln in the face. I will not punch Lincoln in the face.


	16. Chapter 16: Maveth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: Thanks everyone for the likes/kudos and comments. Sorry this took a little longer than I expected. I hope it was worth the wait.

WARD’s POV  
I’m woken up by pounding at my door. As I sit up, May steps into my room.

I’m immediately on my feet. Her face tells me she doesn’t have good news.

“Fitzsimmons have been taken by Malick. Any idea of where they might be?”

I grab a shirt to throw on. “A few. I can scout some.”

“Great. We can split up. Cover more ground.” She heads out but stops, “you have time for a shower before we head out.”

I smile as I sniff myself. Not too bad. I grab my things and shower in no time. I meet everyone in the hanger.

Coulson is assigning teams. As he seems me, he gestures to me. “Agent Ward will give you all locations to hit. I will send a strike team with each of you in case it’s needed. Agents Fitzsimmons have something Malick wants. We need to get them out as quickly as possible. Agent Ward, we have four teams. You’re with Hunter and Bobbi. Assign away.”

My eyes automatically go to Skye. She’s standing by a Hispanic man and Lincoln. I push my feelings aside and give the teams locations of where I think Malick will be. I give Skye’s Inhuman team the location closets to me. May will be their pilot.

Hunter, Bobbi and I head to the location I’d heard Malick’s men talk about only recently. As I enter the coordinates, Bobbi and Hunter recognize them.

They give each other a look.

“Hey.” I get their attention. “How do you know this location?”

Again, they give each other a look.

“Guys?”

Bobbi takes a deep breath. “That’s where we opened a portal to the other world. When we got Simmons back.”

“To where Jemma was. The location they sent the big bad Hydra monster, mate.” Hunter further explain.

“Get Coulson on the line, let them know to meet us at that location. Malick is going to use them to open another portal.” I call May while Hunter makes a move to call Coulson.

“Ward?”

“May, you need to turn around and meet us at our location.”

“Changing coordinates. Ward, what’s going on?” May is all business.

“Malick is going to open another portal. Fitzsimmons are the only ones to ever come back out of that thing. I think he’s going to use them to get that thing back through it.” I explain.

“No. That’s impossible, Ward. That monolith is destroyed.” Skye’s voice gets closer and I realize May must have put the call throughout the jet.

“Malick had these stones when I found him. I didn’t know what they were but I’m willing to bet they can make another portal.” I put my phone on speaker because Bobbi is walking towards me.

“Ward, the Monolith was huge. How big were these stones? It can’t be possible.” Skye tries to argue with me.

“The stone turned to liquid when it was active.” Bobbi jumps into the conversation. “If he has enough of those stones, it could be possible.” 

Hunter is now by our side. “Coulson is calling the teams to reroute to our location. I’ll guess we’ll find out if it’s possible. See you guys there. Yea?”

“We’re not far.” May cuts off the call.

The three of us are anxious but we’re good at hiding it. 

We land far enough from base where we won’t be detected. “Bobbi fall back.”

“What?!” Both Bobbi and Hunter look at me confused.

“Look, just stay out of sight. Not all these men know what’s going on. I’m going to try to get on base and talk to them like I’m just arriving to the party. They might not know that we hit the base last night. Hunter can go with me because they’ve seen him with me.”

Hunter is nodding and Bobbi is shaking her head. “No, I don’t like this. What if they’ve all been told to keep an eye out for you?”

“Well, you can do what you can and the rest of the teams aren’t too far behind. We can handle ourselves. This might be on the only chance we have to get honest answers out of these guys.”

I know she hates the plan but it’s the best one we’ve got. “Fine. But both of you take comms and let us know if you even think something smells funny.” She warns.

Hunter and I both nod and start heading out. “Don’t die out there.” Bobbi calls after us.

We stay low and hurry to the base. We make pretty good time and I see faces I recognize. I smile because this particular group is scared shitless of me and believe anything thrown their way.

I look at Hunter and throw my head their way. When he sees them, he looks back at me with a smile on their face.

I stand up straight and I can feel my body and mind change. Sometimes I feel like a chameleon. I’m able to shed skin after skin and for a second, I remember John. He’s the one who taught me to do this. I will always be grateful because he taught me how to survive but SHIELD—this team gave me family, friendship, love.

“Catch me up to speed, ladies. What have I missed?” I ask the men as I come around a corner.

For a second, a couple of them move towards their guns but then drop them.

“Sir, we thought you’d be up in that room with Malick.” One of the drones say. I can’t remember his name.

I look at him with a bored look. “I’m here making sure you guys are doing your damn job. Malick doesn’t want anything to go wrong. Anything to report?”

“Not on our end, Sir but I hear Giyera has made a break through with the SHIELD agents we brought in. One of them is guiding us through. Do you know who he’s sending through yet, Sir?”

I answer quickly. “No. But I assume Roberts is going. He’s Malick’s most loyal followers and right-hand man. I’m going to check on the others. Keep watch.” I notice Hunter has stayed back. “Hunter, you’re with me.” 

Hunter follows me out of the tent as we move on to through the others ones.

“Love, did you get all that?” Hunter asks.

“Already sending details to Coulson. Do you think you can get to them in time before Malick opens that portal?”

“That’s what we’re aiming for. He’ll probably have them at the tent closest to him. Bobbi, tell them to get here now. Malick won’t wait.” I spot a guard who hates me and was always Team Malick. 

I roll my eyes as he comes forward. The idiot thinks he’s a match for me. It takes me less than a minute to take him down.

I have this feeling in my stomach all of a sudden. I start running and Hunter is right on my heels.

As we enter the building, I’m surprised not to see guards.

“Where is everybody?” Hunter asks just behind me.

We instantly hear noises and hide. Giyera is coming out of the basement with Simmons. “You don’t know what you’re doing. That thing, it destroyed that planet. You can’t let it come through.”

Giyera is dragging her and not paying attention. I want to go after her but I know getting to that portal is more important.

We make our way down and I hear Malick’s voice loud and clear. Before I can make out what he’s saying, Skye comes in through the comms.

“Ward. We’re here? Where are you?”

“Get to Simmons, Skye. Giyera has her.” I say as quietly as I can.

“We’ll get her. Where are you?” Skye sounds nervous and I can’t figure out why.

“We’re outside of the portal room. We can hear Malick.” Hunter answers when I don’t. “I think they’re sending people through it now.”

“Roberts, we’ll reopen it in twelve hours. See you then.” Comes Malick’s voice. A muffled voice responds. “Close the portal.” Malick orders.

And I can’t control my body as it’s running and I’m jumping towards the portal.

“Ward!” Hunter shouts from behind me. “He’s going into—”

“Grant! Stop!” Skye has figured out what I’m doing just before I hit the portal.

“I’m sorry.” And I fall through and my comms go down. I’m falling into a dark world. I tumble, roll and hit a boulder. My head breaks my fall and then there’s nothing.

THIRD PERSON POV  
“What the hell just happened?” Joey asks because everyone has gone still around him.

“Dammit, Ward.” Coulson curses. Coulson looks around at the Inhumans, Mack and May. “The plan hasn’t changed. Everyone get moving. You know you’re objective. Get to Simmons, the Inhumans and take over that portal. Move. Now.” Coulson orders. 

Daisy curses as she follows May and gestures to Lincoln and Joey to follow.

May, Daisy, Lincoln and Joey head towards the front tents where Hunter says might hold Simmons. 

“Is your head in the game?” May asks Daisy.

Daisy and May share a look. Lincoln looks uncomfortable and Joey has no clue as to what is going on. Whoever this Ward guy is, Joey gets the sense that Lincoln doesn’t like him.

“Daisy?” May narrows her eyes.

“I’m fine.” Daisy responds finally. “Let’s get to Simmons and the Inhumans.”

When they arrive to where they think Simmons is being held, she’s not there. May crouches down to pick something up.

“She was being held here. That’s for sure.”

“May.” Daisy points at the rip on the side of the tent to where they’re all sure Simmons must have gone out through.

The four of them make their way out and go into the following tent.

“This is where they should be. Simmons could have gone in to hide.” Daisy suggest and May nods.

Lincoln and Joey follow closely behind the women. 

When they get to the Inhumans, they’re all dead. Lincoln crouches alongside May to look at what’s left of their bodies.

May looks at Lincoln and her head drops.

Daisy approaches May slowly, “May—” 

“I’m fine. Let’s get moving. Weapons up. Lash is loose.” May’s voice has gone to cold and flat.

Daisy and Lincoln share a sad look and Joey leans towards Lincoln. “Who’s Lash?”

“Split up. Find Simmons. Lincoln and Joey, head that way.” May points east. “Stay close to Skye. I’ll look that way.” May point to the opposite direction. “As soon as you’ve got eyes on her, report in and meet Coulson and Mack to where Hunter and Bobbi are.”

All of them nod and split up.

May is the one to find Simmons. Simmons tells her that she let Lash loose. She believes Lash and Dr Garner are one and protected her.

May gets on her comms to let everyone know that she has Simmons.

Once everyone is inside the chamber, Coulson tells Joey to reinforce the doors. They have some waiting to do.

It’s not long before the team is arguing about either keeping the portal open or destroying the stones.

Lincoln stays quiet for a while but after hearing Simmons talk about her time on that planet and what the Monster did to it, he finally speaks up. “We have to destroy it.”

“We will.” Bobbie speaks up, “but not until we get Fitz and Ward back through.”

“And what if they’re not the ones to come through. We can’t risk that. Daisy, your mom was terrified of that thing. We can’t let the portal reopen.” Lincoln is barely holding on to his anger.

“They’ll come through.” Daisy says with all certainty.

“Really? And you know that for a fact?” Lincoln can’t believe what he’s hearing.

“Yes. Fitz is the smartest guy I know. He’s resourceful. And Ward—" Daisy took a deep breath to calm herself, “Ward is the best specialist SHIELD has. He will get to Fitz and he WILL come through.”

“Come off it, Daisy. How do you even know he’s SHIELD anymore? He was Hydra to begin with and he’s been undercover for a long time. How do you even know he hasn’t switched back?” Lincoln challenged.

Daisy jaw clenched. She was too angry to speak.

It was May who came forward. “Step back and take a breath, Lincoln. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Agent Grant Ward is a part of this team.” Coulson steps forward and his voice is nice and clear. “I have not and will not question his loyalty. Since he came forward, he has done nothing but risk his life going up against Hydra. He turned on them because he sees us as family. Now, Grant Ward might be a lot of things but he does not turn on his family. You’re new to the team, so I’m going to let that slide but if you cannot trust him then you don’t belong on this team. SHIELD is not what it used to be but we protect each other and we’re here to protect the world from the unknown. Now, we might not know if Fitz and Ward will come alone but we will not leave them behind. If something does come through, then that’s why we’re here. We will bring it down and the world will keep spinning.” Coulson finally looks to everyone else, “We have 2 hours to go before this portal re opens. We have to make sure Hydra doesn’t bust through that door.”

MEANWHILE—WARD POV  
When I wake, I’m disoriented for a minute and then I remember what I did. My head is bleeding but ignore it. 

I have no idea how long I’ve been out so I have to be fast. I look around. The only light on this planet is coming from its moon—woah two moons. I walk fast and sometimes jog. This whole planet feels like a desert but not as hot. 

After what seems like forever, I find Fitz with Hydra. There’s a man there, that I don’t recognize. It takes me a while before I can get up close.

They’ve all stopped because there’s a sandstorm. I take cover and am able to get behind a Hydra agent. I take him down and take his weapon. I also take his eye wear to protect my eyes. This sandstorm is getting pretty strong.

The man who I don’t recognize, takes out a Hydra agent and then goes to get Fitz. I stay where I am to wait for them to come towards me.

As Fitz walks past me, I call him as quietly as I can. “Fitz.”

Fitz looks like he’s going to be loud so I cover his mouth and tell him to be quiet.

“Holy shit, Ward. What the hell are you doing here? Does Coulson know you came through? Oh—does Daisy?” Fitz couches up next to me.

“I don’t know who you are but we need to move.” The man with Fitz says. “I don’t know how long it’ll take them to realize we’re gone.”

“Right.” Fitz agrees. “Let’s go.”

I eye the man. I don’t trust him. Who is he? And why does Fitz seem to?

“That’s Will.” Fitz tells me because he can read my face.

Will is walking ahead of us and turns to look at me. He nods a “hey” and keeps walking.

“Fitz? Who is he?” I ask as quietly as I can.

“Oh. Yea. Well, he was in NASA and tricked by Hydra to come explore the planet. He was really an offering. That was more than 14 years ago. He’s been stuck on this planet ever since. He helped Jemma. That’s how she stayed alive.” Fitz voice has changed and he’s not looking at me. “I promised her that we’d get him back.”

And it dawns on me. It dawns on who this man is to Simmons and why Fitz trusts him. I can feel bile rise into my mouth. 

“Fitz—” I’m speechless.

“I promised Jemma.” Is his only answer. He sees the look I’m giving him. “Suppose it was Daisy. What if Daisy was stuck on this planet with something trying to kill her and Lincoln protected her. No matter what happens between them, wouldn’t you get him to her, if that’s what she wanted?”

I want to argue. I want to say, “hell no!” I don’t know Lincoln. I don’t want to know Lincoln. I’m fine hating the guy from afar but I have to admit that if the tables were turned, I’d probably be doing the same thing.

“Does she love him?” I ask and I can see the pain in Fitz’s eyes when he nods.

“Ok. Let’s get home. The team had arrived when I jumped through. They’ll be waiting for us on the other side.”

He nods as we follow Will to the portal location.

It’s not long before Hydra catches up to us. I hang back to put them down as Will screams that we’re almost to the location.

Two Hydra agents are quick to go down. Fitz is trying to help but ends up on his back quickly. I turn to Roberts who’s the only one remaining. He’s Malick’s right hand man for a reason. He wants to get back to his boss. 

He fights back with everything he has. Far off, I see Will sitting on a rock, maybe waiting for the portal to open and it pisses me off.

“Fitz, get to Will and that portal. I’m right behind you.”

Roberts knocks me on my back and I can see Fitz debating whether to help me or go to Will. He nods and heads off. I push Roberts off me and he pulls out his gun. I struggle with him for a while before I’m able to disarm him and quickly break his leg. I knock him out with the gun.

I start making my way back to Fitz and Will. Fitz is checking Will’s leg when all of a sudden, Will kicks Fitz over the side of a small sand dune. I run as fast as I can but Will is down where Fitz is and is beating on him. Fitz is holding his own, fighting back.

As soon as I get a clear shot, I shoot Will three times and he goes down.

“What the hell?” I ask Fitz as I help him up. 

“That’s not Will.” Fitz tries to catch his breath. “It used to be Will. It’s that thing.”

Will’s body starts to move, trying to get up.

“What the hell?” I aim and shoot it three more times. It falls to its knees.

The portal opens just then. Fitz grabs his things and we start moving towards it. Fitz grabs the flare gun when IT starts to get up again and shoots at it. The flare hits him square in the back and this time it goes down in flames.

We jump through the portal and it’s the weirdest thing. It’s like falling but feeling weightless all at the same time.

“Thank God it’s you.” Comes a deep voice from behind me and I feel someone helping me up. “Let’s move.” I look up to find Mack and Skye.

We’re running as fast as we can. 

“The module!” Screams Skye and Mack nods. They lead the way to a module and we’re thrusted into the air as the castle blows underneath us.

I’m trying to catch my breath. I look at Fitz to see how he’s doing. His eyes meet mine and he nods that he’s ok. He pats me on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming in after me. You saved my life. Again.”

I shake my head. “Don’t mention it.”

I look to Mack who is taking a seat across Fitz. “I’m glad you guys made it out. You ok, Turbo?’

“Yea. Yea, I’m ok. Thanks. Did you guys get Simmons?” Fitz asks and Mack nods.

I turn to Skye who’s standing by the module door, looking out the window. She’s stiff and has both her hands clenched into fists. I can feel the air around her is tense.

I move towards her against my better judgement. “Skye, you ok?”

She flinches away from me. “What the hell were you thinking?” She’s searching my eyes. She tears them away to turn to one of the guys. I can’t bear to look away from her face. “Not that I’m not thankful you’re ok, Fitz.”

Before I can say something, she looks back to me. I see rage in her eyes and I’m trying to figure out why. I know I’m not seeing something and I grasp at what it might be.

“Are you going to answer me or are you going to stand there like an idiot?” She demands.

The half-smile on my face is involuntary and it pushes her anger to the limits. She pounces on me and I’m so shocked that I don’t try to move away. My back is against the module wall and she’s punching me in the gut, the arms. I finally try to step away from the wall but she pushes me back.

Mack is the one to pull her off me. “Calm down, Tremors.”

“What the hell were you thinking?’ She asks again. “Do you have a death wish? Do you not value your life?”

Her eyes were demanding answers. I needed to calm her down. “Of course I do, Skye. I couldn’t let Fitz go in alone with all those Hydra agents. He needed help. I was there.”

 

“You had no idea what was on the other side of that portal?” She half yelled. “You idiot. What if you died?”

“I had to help, Fitz. I didn’t care what was on the other side of that. I couldn’t just leave him with no protection. You would have done the same if you were there. Any of us would and you know it. We protect our own. Now, I know I still have a lot to—”

“Oh. Come off it Ward.” Fitz interrupts me. “If you start with that whole making up for the past, I’ll deck you myself.”

“When will it be enough, Ward?” Skye asks, her voice shaking. “How long are you going to beat yourself up for? In case you haven’t been paying attention, everyone’s forgiven you besides you. You hold that over your own head. Everyone has moved on. So, what will it take? Your life? Is that when it’ll be enough?”

Mack has stepped back and Skye takes a step towards me.

I think hard about her question. I still feel guilty. I know I’ve done good but she’s right. I’ve never asked myself this question. When will it be enough. I don’t know.

“Maybe.” I answer her honestly. “Maybe it will. I don’t know. What does it matter?” I’m not looking for pity. I’m just being honest.

In that moment, two things happen. Skye’s eyes fill with tears as she drops her head and the module settles into the jet.

A second later, the doors open.

“Excuse me.” Skye pushes past me and exits the module.

I’m lost as I watch her go and I see there’s a welcoming party. The whole team is here to see us arrive. Lincoln walks up to Skye and takes her into his arms.

A hand grasps my shoulder. I look to find Mack giving me a pitiful look while he shakes his head and then he heads out too.

I look at Fitz who is also shaking his head. “You’re an idiot, Ward.”

He steps out of the module and I follow.

I notice immediately that Skye’s leaving and Lincoln is right at her heels.

May approaches me and for the first time, she’s dropped her cold stance. She smiles and takes me into her arms for a quick hug. “Idiot.” She says as she steps back. “Thanks for bringing him home.” She clears her throat and she’s back to her usual self. She steps back and walks away. She’s probably going to set new coordinates.

“I’m glad you’re back.” Coulson pats me in the arm. “I’m going to give you until tonight to come to my office and explain to me why you went into that portal without orders.” He pats me in the arm twice before leaving too.

“You insane, bastard.” Hunter is laughing and tries his best to pick me up.

“Hunter, jeezus. Let me down. Are you crazy?’’ But I laugh at him.

“He would have tried that with me too, if he thought he’d get me an inch off the floor.” Mack laughs from behind me.

I keep laughing as Hunter backs off and joins Bobbi. She smiles at me and nods. I nod back.

“Beers. We need beers. We need to celebrate.” Hunter laughs again and we join in.

We stop almost instantly though when we all finally hear Simmons’ cries. Fitz is holding her in a tight hug and I remember what she’s lost. The way she’s crying tells me that she really thought Fitz would bring Will back.

We filter out and give them the room.

As we go into the hallway, Hunter speaks, “We’re still drinking. I’m sorry that Will guy is dead but now Fitz has no interference.” 

“Hunter.” Bobbi slaps his in the back of the head.

“You really need to figure out what you should be saying out loud and what needs to stay in your head.” Mack says. “I’m going to go have a seat. Wake me up when we get to base.”

“Are you gonna tell us what Skye was crying about when she came out of that module?”

I shake my head.

“Come on, mate. Tell us. I don’t think lover boy was too happy to see her like that.”

“I’m not hiding anything. She was angry at me. She’s upset I jumped in the portal with no backup plan. But I couldn’t just leave Fitz with no help.”

“Even if you are an idiot, I completely agree. I wouldn’t have done it myself but anybody else would.” Hunter is so honest that I want to slap him sometimes.

I shake my head at his statement but find myself smiling. Although, I don’t know why.

“You’re both idiots. I’m going to go sit with Mack.” Bobbi moves away.

“Oy. Why am I an idiot?” Hunter asked walking after her.

I need time to think. I can’t talk to Hunter about this and Fitz is with Jemma. Maybe if I can’t talk with someone, I can at least sit and think with someone. I make my way to the cockpit to go sit with May.

If she’s surprised to see me, she doesn’t say. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She turns back to the wheel.

“I wanted to think.”

She nods but keeps quiet.

I don’t realize but I fall asleep. She wakes me as I see that we’re landing at the base.

“We’re here.”

“Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”

She shrugs. “You look like you needed the sleep.”

I nod.

“How did it go with Daisy?”

“No well. She was angry at me.”

“I figured something like that. But you said something to set her off.” She guesses. “I’ve been working with Daisy. She can usually reign in her emotions like you and me. Lately, she hasn’t been able to do that. More notably back there when you all arrived. Care to share what’s got our trainee so riled up?”

I can see she’s worried about Skye. May is difficult to read sometimes. “She’s angry at me. I think she’s finally forgiven me for my past mistakes and she thinks I still blame myself.”

“Do you?” She searches my eyes.

“I don’t know. Andrew helped a lot—” I stop, remembering. “Sorry. I thought I’d forgiven myself. I know I didn’t have a lot of say in my choices until I started defying John. Today, Skye asked what it would take to finally make up for everything. I didn’t know how to answer that.”

“I don’t pretend to know what happened to you, Ward. It took a long for me to wrap my mind around what you’d done and what I thought you’d done. What you did because you didn’t know any better…it’s a lot. But once all that settled, it was easy to forgive you and to be able to trust you, especially because I saw what you were doing for SHIELD. Nobody here doubts you, Ward. Nobody. If there’s any doubt, it comes from you.”

I quickly think of the exception. “Lincoln—”

“Lincoln is a scared and jealous puppy who doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. And don’t for a second forget who you are. You’re Agent Grant Douglas Ward. He’s here for one reason and one reason only and that’s Daisy. You were here before him and you’re going to be here long after too.” She gives me another rare smile and she exits the cockpit.

I sigh as I follow her out.

The following days are a kind of vacation. We have information that Malick made it out with Giyera but he had a lot of losses. Coulson wants us to stay put for the time being.

I spend my time with Hunter and Bobbi or with Fitzsimmons. They got around on telling me about Will and showed me some of the more scientific portions of Simmons time on Maveth. Seeing it in pictures and video with Simmons’ commentary makes the planet almost seems foreign even when I’ve lived it. I was there a measly twelve hours where as she spent months on that planet. 

She’s frustrated with Fitz. Fitz is trying to give her space. Once they start acting weird, I steer clear. The have to figure out their new relationship on their own. They don’t need my input.

Skye, on her part is ignoring me. She’s not being shy about letting me know she doesn’t want anything to do with me. I come in a room and she exits. She’s usually with Lincoln and now Joey. Lincoln is overly affectionate and I notice it every time. I don’t know if that’s how he usually is or if he’s like that only when I’m around. We both know I notice. It drives me up the wall.

I take it out in my training. I usually spar with Hunter but May and Bobbi have a go too. Fitz asked me to teach him some too. When I’m not sparring with them, I’m hitting the treadmill, the boxing bag or lifting weights. I do all this because my skin crawls. My skin crawls because I’m so close to Skye and I can’t talk to her. She’s still angry.

I’ve just come out of a shower when we hear Coulson overhead to meet in the conference room.

I arrive last. Coulson’s gathering papers.

“Ward. May. You’re with me. Bobbie, Hunter Mack, you’re with Daisy and Joey. You’re headed to Colombia. Meet the police. I’ve sent the files to Daisy. There’s a powered person stealing weapons from the police. Daisy, this is your op. Fitzsimmons and Lincoln, hold down the fort. Ward. May. Let’s go.”

Everyone scrambles to their rooms to gather their things. I meet Coulson and May in the hanger.

“Sir, where are we going?” I ask as we climb into a jet.

“We’re meeting the President.” He answers.

May and I look at each other in surprise. “Of…?”

Coulson smirks. “The United States of America. Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Rosalind’s apartment.” He answers.

Again, May and I share a look. This isn’t going to be good.

The President isn’t any help. Even when Coulson tells him that it was me who killed Rosalind’s shooter at Malick’s command. But he does tell us he’s behind us and will have the ATCU following our lead from now on. That’s a plus.

Our trip is short and we’re back at the base in no time.

THIRD PERSON POV  
“Do you think it’s a good idea, love. To let the girl go like that?” Hunter asked Daisy.

Bobbi, Hunter, Joey and Daisy watched as Mack said goodbye to Elena.

“Yea,” Daisy answers, “she’s a great addition to the team. She’s a call away if we need her or if she needs us.” Skye turns to Joey. “How about you? Maybe you don’t need to miss another Sunday dinner.”

Joey smiled. Closed his eyes for a minute. When he opened them, he took Skye into his arms. “Gracias. I will come when you call, I promise. It will be nice to see my family.”

He walked off and Bobbi and Hunter watched him.

“You’re ok with your team being in all corners of the world?” Bobbi asks before turning back to Daisy.

Daisy simply shrugs. “I want a team. I think we need each other. But I can’t have them give up their lives to do what we do on a daily basis. Not all of them are going to want to give that up. I’m different. SHIELD is my family. There’s no place I’d rather be. I can keep all of us happy. Why not? Coulson agreed.”

“Yea, well that’s just cause it’s you, isn’t it? Imagine me saying something like that. The man would either laugh his head off or look at me as if I’d grown another head.” Hunter stops when he sees the look Bobbi’s giving him. “What? Come on. You know Daisy’s his favorite.”

Daisy lightly punches him in the arm. “I’m not his favorite. He’s the Director of SHIELD. He treats us all the same.”

Bobbi tilts her head and now gives Daisy a look. “Yea, right.”

“He trusts my judgement. It’s not my fault you leave a lot to be desired.” Daisy throws over her shoulder at Hunter as she walks away.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Hunter yells after her. “Ward, trusts me.” He says a lot quieter. “You trust me, don’t you Bob?”

Hunger gives Bobbi a wounded look. Bobbi rolls his eyes. “Come on, Hunter. Let’s go home.”


	17. Chapter 17: Sad Goodbyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah. This Chapter just came to me. It was the fastest chapter I've written so far for this fic. Again, hope you enjoy it. Keep sending me reviews, I'm obsessed. Thanks so much for all the love and support.

WARD POV  
Coulson has Malick on his toes. Because of Coulson, Malick closed a lot of his factories and businesses, and losing a lot of money in the process. I don’t particularly like that Coulson used the memory machine on Strucker but it worked in the end.

Coulson is on a mission. He wants to finally be done with Hydra. Can’t say I wouldn’t do the same if they sent someone to assassinate my loved one.

I watch him leave now, as he takes Lincoln and May on this particular op to meet Glen Talbot the new head of the ATCU. They’re both going to a conference about Inhumans with some world leaders.

Hunter, Bobbi, Skye and I will meet them at the conference later.

After Coulson, May and Lincoln leave, I wander around the base. I find Skye training with some agents. She’s showing them how to take down an opponent as well as some fighting techniques.

I lean against the wall and watch her. She’s got lean muscles in all the right places. The right amount of muscle to the right number of curves. My eyes wander toward her bottom.

She calls an agent forward who is helping her demonstrate a move. As I watch her, I see a lot of May in her technique but Skye doesn’t get lost in it. She has her own unique way of doing thigs. She’s got her own signature and as I watch her, I’m amazed to see that she carries some of me in her fighting too. It’s there, it’s subtle but it’s meaningful.

I feel my heart clench and for whatever reason, seeing me in her moves—it moves me deep inside. I’d have thought she would have done away with everything I taught her.

“You keep looking at her like that and you’re going to look like a pervert.” Hunter says as he walks by.

I roll my eyes as I turn back to Skye. I’m surprised to find her watching me.

“Ward. Come spar with me. I can use you.” She still looks mad but I’m not going to pass this up. I’ve wanted a chance to do this with her for a while now.

I move forward. “You sure you want to do this?” I ask with a smile.

“Yea. I feel like kicking some ass.” She has her old Skye smile. She’s teasing, baiting me. The agents laugh and I arch a brow.

“Just making sure.” I go to the center of the mats and crack my neck.

“Ready?” She asks. Her voice is breathy.

I nod and she lunges.

She’s quicker than what I remember seeing. She’d been holding back for the low-level agents. She’s all Skye, May and me mixed into one and I smile as I dodge her hits.

She’s quick to dodge mine too. I can’t help but notice that what we’re doing is more like dancing than sparring. She knows my techniques and I’ve experienced hers. But in the end, I have more experience and I lay her flat on the mats with a kick.

My grin spreads across my face. Before I can make a move to help her up, she uses her powers to take my legs from under me. “Cheater.” I say looking up at the ceiling.

We sit up at the same time.

“My SO taught me to use all the tools at my disposal when facing the enemy.” She smiles teasingly.

But her use of words sit wrong with me and she sees that because her smile faulters.

I stand not saying a word and help her up.

“Ward, I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant. You’re not—I don’t see you—”

“It’s ok, Skye. I know. I understand. I overacted. You don’t need to explain.” I leave the room because I’m embarrassed and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. 

I shouldn’t feel embarrassed. I know Skye doesn’t see me as the enemy. But that thought stops me in my tracks out in the hall. She’s forgiven me. Right? Does she still see me as an enemy? Has she always? Can it maybe be because of Lincoln?

I look for Hunter. I need to clear my mind. He’s always talking about absolutely nothing and that always puts me at ease. I find him loading some crates and help him.

It’s not a couple of hours and Coulson is back on base which surprises us all. He’s not alone. He brings Talbot and Creel.

Creel is swiftly placed in a containment module while Coulson and Talbot head into his office. Bobbi and Hunter are demanding to know what the hell is going on. They are refusing to work with Creel.

Coulson calls May, Skye and I into his office to observe the conversation.

Talbot is defending Creel.

Hunter and Bobbi are calling him a murderer and I can see May is almost as against this as they are. I stand back and listen.

Coulson looks to me as he says, “I believe everyone deserves a second chance.” He turns back to Talbot, “I just don’t think this conference is the right place to test it.”

“How long has he been reformed?” I ask Talbot and he looks to me for the first time.

“You stand there and lecture me about Creel but you have Grant Ward on premises? I don’t see him in handcuffs.” Talbot points out angrily.

“Agent Ward is a part of our team.” Skye steps up to speak. “He was undercover at Hydra FOR SHIELD. We can’t say the same for Creel, now can we?” Her voice is defiant. 

“Agent Ward has always been on our team, General.” Coulson gives Skye a look and I can see it’s an obvious stand down look.

“General, how long has Carl Creel worked for you?” I ask calmly.

Talbot squints at me, looking for something in my eyes. “A couple of months.”

“Sir,” I start, looking to Coulson, “I’ve seen this up close. What Hydra does…there’s no denying them. The subject has no choice but to follow orders. The brainwashing is strong. Look what I did and I didn’t go through the same thing they did.” Bobbi and Hunter are already trying to argue over me. Skye has a sad look in her eyes. I gulp and try to calm myself, “When Kara was brainwashed, there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t have done for Whitehall. She would have killed her own mother.”

“You’re going to use that psychopath to make your point?” Hunter yells and movs towards me. 

My jaw clenches.

“Hunter.” Bobbi warned and yanked him by the arm. “Don’t.”

“I won’t go without him.” Talbot announces.

“Fine. We’ll go without you.” Skye is clearing her throat, it almost sounds like when she’s trying not to cry.

“We actually can’t go without him.” Coulson finally explains why. 

“What are you saying?” Hunter steps forward, clearly still very angry.

“He goes.” Coulson doesn’t look like he likes it but he doesn’t have any other choice.

“You can’t be serious.” Hunter is appalled. 

“I’m taking a big leap of faith. You better be right.” Coulson approaches Talbot.

“I trust him with my life.”

“If he steps even a toe out of line, Lincoln and I will take him down so hard, he’ll never get up.” Skye warns.

Coulson tells May to take Talbot down to Creel.

“I’m not kidding,” Skye starts, “I will hurt him.”

“You’re not on this op and neither is Lincoln.” Coulson announces, surprising everyone in the room.

We all move towards him. “There are two rules to this symposium. The first, no aliens. The Delegates want to speak freely without fear of offending anyone.”

“Too late for that.” Skye crosses her arms.

“What’s the second rule?” Bobbi asks.

I notice Hunter still sulking behind her, leaning against the open door.

“No weapons.”

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

Hunter moves away from the door, “And what are we supposed to do if someone else decides not to play by those rules?”

 

“That’s why having Creel there might not be such a bad idea. He’s not Inhuman, so he’ll pass any DNA screenings they have, and if he is truly reformed, then he’s an asset.” 

Hunter who is still not pleased walks out.

Bobbi is soon to follow and then Skye.

“You think this is a bad idea?” Coulson comes to stand next to me.

“No. I don’t know how much we can trust him but what happened to Creel and what he did under his brainwashing can’t be held against him. At one point in my life, I would have told you to keep him locked up but you give second chances, sir. And I’ve come to agree with you.”

He gives me a small smile. “I wish more would agree.”

“They will, maybe not for a while. It takes everyone different times to come to the reality that not everything is black and white.” I give him a nod and walk out of the room.

May, Bobbi, Hunter and I end up going with Coulson, Talbot and Creel.

Hunter sticks close to Creel while on the jet.

I approach him. “I know I’m probably not your favorite person right now.” 

He sighs. “I want to throw him off this plane, Ward. He has a habit of killing my friends.”

“He was brainwashed, Hunter. You don’t know what that’s like.” I settle next to him.

He throws me a nasty look.

“Look—what happened to me. It was different. I killed people too. Innocent people. For what? Because I thought I owed a man my life? Hunter, the brainwashing they go through—they don’t have a choice. They get an order and they must follow it. Period. There’s no thought behind it.”

 

“He killed two of my friends, Ward. It’s not something someone just forgets.”

I want to argue with him but he’s right. That wouldn’t be something I could forget so easily either.

“He can hurt any of you. If we trust him.” Hunter says still looking at Creel with anger in his eyes.

“Don’t pretend you’re here for us, Hunter.” I hadn’t noticed May. “You’re here for Bobbi and nothing more.”

She’s being a little harsh, even more May.

“Would you rather have that guy covering you than me?” Hunter looks offended.

“Woah, May. You’re out of line here. Hunter can be a lot of things but he has our backs.”

May finally turns to me. “You don’t know what he’s done. You haven’t seen how irresponsible he can be during a mission.”

“That’s no way to treat a friend who’s just trying to watch your back.” Hunter throws over my shoulder.

“We’re not friends.” May turns to walk away.

“I’ll carry on watching your back regardless.” He says after her and gives me a look, like he can’t believe what she’s just said.

“You’re kind of hard to like sometimes, Hunter. And you don’t help yourself.” I try to ease the tension. I’ll have to speak to May about Hunter.

“Sorry about what I said about Kara.” He finally says looking to me. “My mouth can get away from me sometimes.”

I give him a small laugh. “You don’t have to tell me.”

He looks like he wants to say more. I give him a chance to get his head around what he wants to say. “It’s just—it’s hard to forgive what she did. She lost it in the end there, didn’t she?”

“Yea. She did.” It’s hard to talk about Kara. “I know you hate her, Hunter, but she was very special to me. She was there when I was bleeding out. She took me off the floor when I didn’t have anyone. She patched me up. She was a great friend. She was lost after Whitehall died. It took a while before she got out of that brainwashing.” I shake my head because I still believe I could have done more for her. “I should have insisted she talk to Andrew more often. She was in a weakened state after the brainwashing. I had no business trying to help her. We’ll never know if something I said gave her the idea for what she did.”

“It must have been hard—I never thanked you. It’s not even the right thing to say though, is it? You saved a lot of people. You put down the person who almost killed Bob but thanking you for ending someone’s life is wrong. I don’t quite know the sentiment to use.”

I don’t say anything. I can’t. After a while, I step back. “You don’t have to forgive him, Hunter. You just need to give him a second chance.”

“Whatever you say, mate. I’m going to stay here. I’ll be ok though. I promise I won’t throw him off the damn plane.” Hunter has a small smile on his face as I walk away.

When we arrive, I’m told to take a look at the outer perimeter. It’s my forth sweep when I hear May come into my comms. 

“Ward, get to Coulson. Talbot is the inside man. Malick is here.” Her voice is clear as day. 

I head straight to Coulson. Hunter was right. They shouldn’t have gone in without weapons but knowing him, he probably has some stashed somewhere. He never plays by the rules.

I make my way into the place and sure enough find it crawling with Hydra agents. Far off, I see Malick heading off with some men and he’s taken aback by seeing me. I grin as I head for him but he runs out of the door as four agents come towards me.

It takes me a couple of minutes to get them down and I start looking for my team. I find Coulson and Talbot running like idiots, handcuffed to each other.

I have the urge to laugh but hold it in. By the looks of it, Malick double crossed Talbot if he’s handcuffed to Coulson.

“Ward. Thank God.” Coulson approaches me with his handcuffed hand in the air. I dig my pockets for the one of a kind device Fitz has made for situations like these. I scan the cuff and a little key pops out. I undue the cuffs. “We have to find the others. Malick has Talbot’s son.”

I nod and head out with them right behind me. We approach Creel who is snapping a man’s neck. Hunter and Bobbi are just inside the room.

May surprises us, as she has Talbot’s son and Coulson orders Bobbi and Hunter to chase down Malick. They are supposed to report back with a location.

When we get back, all I want is some sleep. I feel exhausted. As I walk to my room, Fitz approaches me. He looks like he wants to tell me something but doesn’t know how.

“Fitz, what’s going on? Spit it out.” I have no time for this if it’s not important. 

He clears his throat. “I just thought you might want to know that Daisy and Lincoln had a disagreement earlier.”

I frown. “Ok. About what?”

“Creel’s blood. Jemma thinks it’s the key to making a vaccine to counteract terrigenisis.”

“Are you serious?”

Fitz nods while tugging at the back of his neck.

“Wow.”

“Skye didn’t like the idea of creating a vaccine. She said Inhumans weren’t a disease. Lincoln said not everyone should be turned that they should have a choice.” Fitz eyebrows shot up. “Yea. It was awkward.”

He’s searching my face to see what I make of the news. “Fitz, what Skye and Lincoln argue and don’t argue about, really isn’t any of my business. I’m going to get some sleep.”

I make my way to my room, grab some stuff and take a shower. I can’t help but feel a little better before knocking out, thinking about Skye’s disagreement with Lincoln.

I don’t know how long I’m out when someone is waking me up by pounding on my door.

I get up to open it. Fitz is on the other side.

“We’re moving. Malick’s plane landed in Siberia. Bobbi and Hunter are still on him. Come on or you’ll miss all the fun.”

I open my closet grab my tactical gear. I’m dressed and ready to go in less than five minutes. As I enter the Zephyr, I see the team. Mack, Skye, Fitzsimmons, May, Coulson and about a dozen agents that I have yet to get to know.

I recognize their faces but I haven’t really thought to learn their names. Hm. I’ve been off my game. By now, I should have already looked at all their files. I’ll have to do it when I get back. Maybe I can do it while having that beer with Hunter.

There’s really no info yet on him and Bobbi. They’re to survey and not get caught until we can arrive and help.

Hours later we finally land to meet Hunter and Bobbi in the smaller jet. They already have weapons because they ran into some trouble.

Bobbi is catching us up saying the Malick and some guy Petrov are meeting some Russian Cabinet Ministers.

I roll my eyes at Hunter as he shows me the mushrooms he’s picked while putting them in a bag. He’s smiling and pointing at them.

I can’t help but smile back. Hunter is truly special. “Soup. Later.” He mouths and I nod.

All signs point to Petrov having an Inhuman.

“How’s everyone’s Russian?” Bobbi asks.

“My pronunciation’s not fluent.” May admits.

“Mine’s nonexistent.” Mack shrugs.

“I dated a Russian hacker once,” Skye admits as she blushes and continues, “but I only learned the dirty words.”

Bobbi looks to me and I nod.

“Guys, seriously, we’re spies. I though we all learned languages.” Bobbi geared up.

We decide to split up, Bobbi with Mack and Skye and I’m with May and Hunter. This way each team has a translator.

We run into problems early on when we find the first corpse. It’s the Russian Prime Minister’s personal attaché. Once we get the information to Coulson it’s not long until all the other details start falling into place. 

Malick is planning a coup.

Hunter starts getting antsy in our hiding place and starts acting like Hunter. His mouth gets away from him and he starts getting under May’s skin.

She, in turn starts making comments to Hunter and the air in here is getting a little tense.

“You should have paired up with Mack.” Hunter grumbles.

“I can trust Mack.” May throws matter of factly.

“That’s right. I forgot. We’re not friends are we.” To anyone, Hunter would look irritated but I can see and hear the hurt behind his comment to May.

“Guys. Both of you, chill.” I’ve never felt so in the middle.

“You know, friends don’t put other’s people’s lives at risk for selfish reasons.” May accuses, ignoring me.

“Selfish? I’d take a bullet for any one of you—not for the SHIELD logo on the wall, for you.” Hunter confesses to her.

“I’ve seen you put people in danger for revenge, Hunter.” May steps forward. She’s getting angry.

“Guys.” I try once again.

“And what about you and SHIELD. You’re always about the mission, not the person next to you.”

“SHIELD isn’t about me. It’s not about you. It’s about the greater good, Hunter.”

“Even over the ones you love?” Hunter asks.

“Yes, even then.”

“I don’t know whether I admire you, feel sad for you or both. Either way, I am sorry, May. I’m sorry that you don’t feel you can trust me and for everything that I’ve done that has led you to believe you can’t.”

May’s face eases up.

I sigh. I can tell the worst is over as she finally nods to him and he nods at her. Finally, they’ve come to an understanding.

“Look, I don’t know all that went on while I was gone, but for what it’s worth, May, I trust Hunter with my life.” I smile at May trying to ease the tension. “He may be an asshole but he’s a well-meaning asshole.”

“Thanks for the love, mate.” Hunter ducks to look out one more time.

Bobbi comes on comms. “Heads up. Malick’s on the move.”

“Where are you, Bob?” Hunter asks.

“South end. Upper level.” She answers. “I think he’s going to get the General.”

Bobbi goes silent for a minute or two and comes back telling Skye that she lost Petrov and Malick. Skye reports back to give her a little time.

In the meantime, Mack finds the General that we’re looking for and reports his location.

Malick ends up coming our way with his security detail but no General.

Coulson comes on comms, letting us all know the hit is going down here and now. The Russian Prime Minister is arriving and the assassin Inhuman is still on the loose. 

With all the is going on, Malick takes this moment to leave. Hunter wants to chase him but Coulson gives the order. We are to stay and help the Prime Minister.

“But he’s right bloody there.” Hunter complains angrily.

“Protect the Primes Minister.” Coulson repeats more urgently.

With the guards no longer there, we head out, weapons ready.

The team gathers when we find the Prime Minister.

“May and Hunter, you secure the Prime Minister. Daisy, Mack, Bobbi, Ward you contain the General. Try to get him outside. We’ll send the containment module down to the south exit.” Coulson orders and goes off of comms.

“We need a distraction.” Mack tells us.

“I’ve got an idea, but it involves May hitting people.” Hunter quickly looks at May.

May and I look at each other and smile.

We throw smoke bombs at the group to distract and separate them. May and Hunter grab the Prime Minister as Bobbi, Hunter, Skye and I go after the General.

Bobbi calls the General and moves him away with Mack right behind her. Skye and I are falling behind as we take down the guards.

Once they are down, we hurry after Mack and Bobbi. The General stops and tells us that we don’t know who we’re messing with. A second later, something is coming out of the wall and it attacks Mack. I go to swing at it but my arm goes right through. Bobbi throws her batons at it and the same thing happens. Skye tries to use her powers but those don’t work either.

We are being hit by that thing and nobody is landing any hits. And after a couple of minutes, Mack is out cold.

Both that thing and the General are gone.

Coulson comes in with an update and we tell him we lost the General. Simmons updates us on the Generals power works. That dark matter form can operate independently from the General.

“Great.” I say with a dry tone.

They also tell us that we can’t beat it. But the Prime Minister is safe for now so that’s a plus.

As Simmons talks, we try to come up with ways to beat the unbeatable thing. The only way is to kill the General himself.

And out of nowhere, almost as if it heard we were going after the General, that thing is back and kicking our ass.

That thing comes from underneath us and shoves Skye into the ceiling, letting her fall. She’s out and then Hunter comes on comms telling us that the thing is with him and the Prime Minister.

“Bobbi, go help Hunter.” I order. “I’ve got Skye and Mack.”

“Are you sure?” She asks.

“Just go help Hunter.”

She nods and runs.

I don’t know how I’m going to get both Mack and Skye back to safety but I don’t worry for too long because Mack is coming around.

“Mack, get up. Come here and help me with Skye.”

“Where’s Bobbi?” He asks shaking his head and getting up slowly.

“She went to go help Hunter.” I explain.

I hear Hunter telling Bobbi that if she’s going to do something to do it now.

Mack is groggy but I don’t need him helping me with Skye. I tell him to follow me as I head to the jet. I have no doubt that Bobbi and Hunter can handle this. May is still here and she’ll help them if they get into trouble.

I’m bleeding, Mack might have a concussion and Skye is out. They’ll have to finish the mission on their own.

I’m laying Skye across a couple of seats, as Mack sits down. I hear someone outside and step forward with my gun. It’s May.

“Thank God.” I say because she’s been silent. 

She walks onto the jet and sits.

I wait for Bobbi and Hunter but they’re not behind her like I thought they’d be. “Where are Bobbi and Hunter?” I ask confused.

Her head pops up and looks at me. Her eyes tell me that she didn’t know we were waiting for them and I can feel that horrible feeling in my stomach start to bubble up.

“Director, have you heard from Hunter or Bobbi?” I ask.

There’s a long silence.

“They’ve been caught by Russian officials.” Coulson’s announcement has us looking at each other in shock. “Get up to the Zephyr. We’ll figure it out.”

We’re all silent as May takes us back up to the Zephyr.

Once back on the Zephyr, Simmons takes a look at Skye and then at Mack. I listen as Coulson speaks to the President.

It appears the President is coming.

Hours later, we set new coordinates. Coulson is meeting the Prime Minister with the President and it’s time to get Bobbi and Hunter out.

I can’t remember being this stressed out in a long time. Hunter and Bobbi have probably been interrogated this whole time. Hunter must be driving them mad.

I smile at the thought. I have no doubt he’ll tell me all about it when he gets back. We hadn’t had that beer he’s been wanting. I think we’ll have it tonight.

After telling us his plan, Coulson takes off on the smaller jet and we sit and wait for his signal. It worries us as the hours pass when the signal doesn’t come.

After what seems like forever, Coulson walks onto the Zephyr.

“What happened to the extraction plan?” Mack demands.

“You never gave us the signal.” Fitz stands.

“Where are Hunter and Bobbi?” Skye asks.

Coulson sighs. “They’re not coming back. They’ve been disavowed.”

Chills run through my body. I can’t move. I can’t understand.

“What are you talking about?” Mack asks because he doesn’t get it.

“There were no good options. I had to make a deal. We were lucky President Ellis even got Interpol to step in. They walk free but they cannot be agents.”

“So that’s it. We’re just leaving them?” Simmons sounds like she’s between being mad and trying not to cry.

“It was all we could do to keep them from being executed.”

I feel sick.

“Relations between the President and Prime Minister are already badly strained because of the growing alien threat.” Coulson continued.

“And if they found out SHIELD was up and running, training Inhumans as agents…” May guessed.

“It would be bad. Like Cold War bad.” Coulson finished. “Bobbi and Hunter never cracked under questioning, even to save each other. They did that for SHIELD. They did that for us and they paid the price.”

“No, they—they can’t just take the fall.” Mack tries to argue.

“Mack, it was their choice. After everything they’ve done, they deserve that choice. Believe me, guys…I’m going to miss them too.”

Nobody says a word. Simmons is quietly crying.

I fall into a seat.

I can feel a panic set in. My skin is crawling. Hunter was the first person to talk to me after I met with Andrew in Vault D. 

He drove me insane. He talked too much. He didn’t take anything seriously. He always said the wrong thing, made the wrong move. He questioned everything I stood for and yet, he was my best friend apart from Fitz…and Kara who I’d already lost. I was down to Fitz.

“I didn’t have that beer with him…when was it? Yesterday.” I didn’t know I had said it out loud until I noticed everyone looking at me.

Skye made a move towards me and I got up and walked away. I didn’t want her pity. I pulled at my hair, as I pace. I tried to calm my breathing.

I hear someone come up behind me but I couldn’t stop my breathing exercises or I’d lose it.

I watch as Skye sank to the floor near me. She didn’t say anything.

A minute later, Fitz appeared with Simmons and sat next to Skye.

We stayed in the area until they released Hunter and Bobbi. They crossed into the states and we still hung around.

I knew we had to go back to base soon. The Zephyr was running on fumes.

“Can we say goodbye?” I asked Coulson. “Before we head back?”

Mack looked up, hopeful.

Coulson looked at all of us for a minute and finally said, “Yea. I think we can make that happen.” We could all see his mind working. His answer alone, lifted our spirits.

After about five minutes, Coulson tells us to shower and get ready in some street clothes. Thankfully we kept extra onboard in case they were needed.

We follow Hunter and Bobbi through town until they stopped at a local pub. We weren’t surprised at the place they ended up. It actually worked for us.

We filtered in. Mack went to the bar. Fitzsimmons sat at a table together. May went to a small round table on her own and Coulson went to the opposite side of the bar from Mack. I couldn’t make my legs move for a minute. I just watched Hunter and Bobbi. More Hunter than Bobbi.

“Hey. I figured I could sit with you.” Skye’s soft voice came from beside me. She gave me a shy, sad smile.

I appreciated her so much in this moment.

“Come on. Let’s sit.” She pulled at my sleeve and I followed her to a booth.

We all took our turns ordering Hunter and Bobbie shots and we watched them realize what was going on. I could see Bobbi’s tears from across the bar. Hunter turned and finally met my eyes.

I raised my glass to him, as did the others and we all drank. I held Hunter’s eyes, trying to convey how much I valued his friendship. What he’d done for me exactly. I hope he caught it. My chest swells when he gives me a small nod.

Everyone starts filtering out. Skye gets up and touches my arm as she leaves.

I look at Hunter one more time. He looks towards Skye and nods his head towards her, telling me to follow her out. I nod and head out.

I thought I was the last out but I quickly realize Mack was still inside.

I feel horrible as I realize that Mack has known Bobbi and Hunter since he joined SHIELD. He’s been there with them through everything. He was there for all their ups and downs through the years.

We all head towards the Zephyr. Mack eventually boards. He looks like he’s been crying. Skye doesn’t hesitate to go to him and give him a hug. 

I smile. That’s my Skye. No matter what pain she’s in, she’s always looking out for the one who needs help the most.


	18. Chapter 18:  Quakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry everyone. I know it’s been a little while but I’ve been a little busy. My husband’s tribe had its annual powwow and we serve on the committee. So, there was lots to do. I also messed my hand ☹ so it took me a little longer to write. This chapter is short but I’m already working on the next one so hopefully it won’t be a long wait. This chapter kind of got away from me. The conversation towards the end on the chapter was set for later in the story but it had to be written. Hope you like it.

WARD POV  
I’m restless at the base. Coulson is trying to pin point Malick but he’s on the move. Hunter and Bobbi have been gone over a week. All I can do is train.

Thankfully, Coulson has brought in new recruits and I pass my time with them. I haven’t spoken to Skye. I get the feeling she’s avoiding me.

Fitzsimmons are still dancing around each other. The only one who is constantly helping me is May but that’s only because of the recruits.

As I’m heading to my room the base shakes under my feet. The earthquake doesn’t last long. I quickly think of Skye but I know it can’t be her. She has control of her powers and only uses them while training with Lincoln or in the field. If she uses them on base, she usually gives everyone a heads up.

Long after everyone has gone to bed, I stay up to read. I miss Hunter. When I can’t sleep, I throw some shorts on, not bothering with a shirt and head to the gym.

THIRD PERSON POV (Around the time of quake)  
“Lincoln, what is the matter with you?” Daisy asks Lincoln as she follows him into his room.

“What’s the matter?” Lincoln gives a short humorless laugh. “I don’t know what you want from me, Daisy. Lately, you’ve been giving me whiplash.”

Daisy’s eyes open wide, surprised at Lincoln’s comment. “Whiplash?”

“I—I thought there was something going on here.” He gestures between the two of them.

Daisy is taken aback. “There is.”

“Is there? Because ever since Grant Ward has been back, you’ve changed. Sometimes you’re hot and then cold.”

“Please don’t start singing Katy Perry to me.” She was trying to calm him or maybe get a smile from him.

“This isn’t funny, Daisy.”

“Lincoln, you’re supposed to be leaving for your evaluation and this is what you want to do before you leave? You want to argue about Grant Ward?”

“Not particularly but I figure that while I’m gone, you can think about what to tell me when I get back because I’m sick of waiting around for you to want to spend time with me.”

“Think about what, Lincoln? What am I supposed to be thinking about?” Now Daisy is being defensive.

Both looked at each other for a while, not speaking. Neither willing to ease up.

“You should think about how you feel about Grant Ward and whether you want to continue whatever it is that we are doing.”

Daisy shook her head and laughed. “How I feel about Grant Ward?”

Lincoln narrowed his eyes. “Don’t do that. I know there was something going on before. What, I really don’t know because nobody wants to tell me. But there was something or still is. I just know this has changed since he’s been back.”

“How?” Daisy demanded. “Maybe it’s you, Lincoln. You’re seeing things that aren’t there.”

“You let him call you Skye.” Lincoln threw at her.

Daisy’s jaw dropped and shook her head again. “He hasn’t been back for long. He knew me as Skye. He was gone, doing undercover work at Hydra. Everyone took a while to adjust to my name.”

“I knew you as Skye.”

“It’s not the same and you know it.” Skye runs her hands through her hair and paces. “He was my SO. We spent months and months together.”

“Months where he was lying to you. Months when he was working for Hydra. Didn’t he let you bleed out? Months—”

“Stop. Don’t do that.” She interrupted with menace in her voice. “You weren’t there. He’s made up for everything and more. You have no right to judge him. You don’t know him.”

“Do you?”

“This is stupid. You’re basing that I have feelings for him because I let him call me Skye? Don’t you see how stupid that sounds? It took Coulson forever to stop calling me Skye.”

“And yet, you corrected him when he did it.” Lincoln sat on his chair and looked up at her like he was defeated. “You never correct him, Daisy. You went crazy when he went through that portal. I saw those last moments in that module. What did he say, Daisy? What did he say that had you that upset?”

“He is a part of this team, of course I was worried.” She’d gone very still at Lincoln’s statements. She ignored his last question.

“He’s part of this team? Nothing else. Have you even talked to him?”

“About what? You’re all over the place with this?” Daisy was back to being defensive.

“You hated him for a very long time. You were angry. I seem to recall someone saying you’d shot him and left him to bleed out.” Lincoln watched Daisy carefully when he spoke.

Daisy’s head popped up. Tears filled her eyes. Pain mixed with anger coated her tears.

“Why—why would you bring that up?” Daisy spoke quietly.

They were both surprised when the room started to shake.

They both instantly looked at her hands.

Lincoln scared, Daisy confused.

Daisy had not lost control of her powers in a very long time. Once she’d accepted her powers as gifts, she hadn’t had any problems feeling and controlling every vibration.

Daisy closed her eyes and concentrated. Her whole body seemed to be shaking. The shaking intensified before dying altogether.

“I’m sorry, Daisy. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just tired of this dance. You and him, you and me and me with him. I can’t stop the jealousy when I see you guys interacting or when he watches you. When you watch him.” Lincoln takes a second. “It’s harder for me to control my powers, you know that. It doesn’t help to see you watch him the way you do. I’m going to go. But when I come back we need to continue this discussion or you need to have made up your mind.” Lincoln grabs his bag and walks out, leaving Daisy a confused mess.

She stands in Lincoln’s room for a while before making her way out into the hall. She wanders through the base, not really going anywhere.

She passes by the gym and stops when she sees Ward hitting the punching bag.

Daisy enters the gym quietly. She wants to speak to him but as she gets close, she sees them—the scars. The scars she left on his body when she left him bleeding on the floor.

DAISY POV  
I’m in that moment, when I shot Ward. I’d been so angry for so long. I couldn’t trust him. He’d been lying to us for months. He’d let Garrett have someone shoot me. He’d escaped and killed his brother, I was sure. He was working for Hydra—helping Whitehall. It didn’t matter than he’d brought me to my dad.

Ward was a liar and a murderer. He’s killed Eric and Victoria Hand. It didn’t matter that Whitehall had turned on him. He was a danger to SHIELD.

I’d grabbed the gun and shot with anger in my heart but the second that I’d fired, my heart had stopped. I’d shot a second time out of panic before realizing what I’d done. No matter how much I hated him—thought I hated him, I couldn’t kill him. This was Grant. And he was looking at me like I’d just betrayed him. 

His eyes are what I most remember. Sadness, shock, betrayal, forgiveness, love. Even in that moment, when I held the gun to him, I could see the love for me in his eyes and it crushed me. I could feel the shaking overpower me. He was bleeding so much. I couldn’t kill him. I prayed someone would find him because I couldn’t help him. I couldn’t bring him back. He was our enemy—he was a killer. He was a killer and I loved him. So, I ran.

When I found my father almost killing Coulson I’d threatened him and he’d left. I apologized to Coulson telling him that I couldn’t kill him but I didn’t mean my father, I meant Ward.

I took a breath and I was back in the present. Ward was punching the bag feet from me. He hadn’t noticed me yet but he would in a second because I was shaking. I couldn’t breathe. The scars on his body were screaming at me. They were evidence of what I’d done to him.

WARD POV  
I knew someone was behind me but I was too busy to acknowledge them. They’d speak up when they wanted my attention.

The room starts to shake out of nowhere and I turn to find Skye looking at me. Tears are streaming down her eyes. I walk toward her and she backs away. Her hands are behind her head. She’s pulling her head down into herself.

I’m confused as to what’s going on but I move towards her and place my hand on her arm. “Skye? Skye, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

She jumps back, away from me. “Don’t touch me.” She cries and I’m left frozen in my spot.

What have I done? Why does she look in so much pain?

“Talk to me, Skye. What’s going on?” My throat feels dry. Do I want to know?

“I—I—how can you be around me?” She asked. She was wiping her eyes and trying to calm her breathing. The shaking in the room subsides.

“What?” What kind of question is that? I’m completely taken aback by that question.

“I shot you.” She speaks so quietly that I almost miss it.

My body which had been stiff, eases up. That’s what this is about? She feels guilty. She looks so heartbroken and I feel horrible.

“Skye, I’m ok. Just some scars, nothing to worry about. What’s going on?” Something must have set her off.

She’s looking at me like I’m insane. I can see she’s angry again. That was not the right thing to say to her but I’m at a loss.

“You almost died. I left you on the floor and walked over you as you bled out.” She says furiously and is now stepping up to me and pushes my shoulder.

I try to think of something to say. She pushes me again and I don’t stop her.

“Why don’t you stop me?!” She half yells.

“Because you’re in obvious pain. Something’s upset you. That’s in the past, Skye. I don’t hold that against you.” I use my words very carefully.

“Why? I still hold getting shot against you!” There’s so much pain and anger mixed into that one sentence that I step back to get my bearings. 

“We’ll call it even then.” I try to joke to see if I can get a smile but her eyes look deadlier and I wince. “Sorry.” I sigh. Maybe I should try something else. “Skye, think back at when it happened. When—”

“I do. I just did.” Her voice cracks a little in the end and I ignore it.

“Tell me, what were you feeling in the moment leading up to it and when you pulled the trigger?” I ask her.

“Anger.” She answers quickly. “Hatred. Pain.”

I take a deep breath. “Skye, you are a trained SHIELD agent. You learned from me and from May. An agent has to asses a situation and always keep the team safe. You were taught to eliminate any threats. That is exactly what you did. You thought of me as your enemy. You thought I was Hydra. You should have killed me. Don’t apologize for keeping the team safe.”

Again, I knew I’d pushed it too far because the rooms started to shake again and I could practically see steam coming out of her ears.

“Are you listening to yourself right now?” She’d lost it. “You were not my enemy. You were undercover the whole time. I hated you for betraying us. I hated you because I thought you killed Eric. I thought you killed your family. I thought you’d tried to kill Fitzsimmons. Those were all lies.”

“I did betray you!” I yell because her anger and pain has set my mood off too. This whole situation is so ridiculous. How did I get here? Oh, that’s right because I’m a coward. “I betrayed you all for months. I was giving intel to John the whole time. I got on that plane for one reason and one reason only. I didn’t care about any of you. I had a mission. I was a robot dammit. I got the job done. And here you all come and turn me on my head. I told John and myself that I jumped out of that plane to save Simmons so I could look like the hero and you could all trust me. But that was a lie. I was lying to myself because I had grown to care for all of you.” I rub my face, trying to calm myself.

Skye watches me but doesn’t speak.

“I continued to lie to all of you. I betrayed you for a very long time. If something went wrong on a mission or lost valuable intel it was because John was giving me orders. I was following them like a good little soldier. I could have turned on him after he had you shot but when we got you the cure, I was just happy you were alive. So, I stayed loyal to John. You are angry at me for good reason.” I don’t know where to stop. I don’t know how much I should—could tell her.

“You weren’t always against us.” Skye prompted.

“No.” I shook my head.

She tilts her head and really looks at me. “I don’t know why you turned on Garrett. Coulson never said. He just said it was your story and that you had your reasons.” She shakes her head. “I just don’t understand when you told Coulson the truth why you continued lying. What was the point? Why couldn’t we know what you were doing?”

“Hydra couldn’t know I’d turned on them. The less people knew—”

“Bullshit!” Skye spits out. She comes closer to me. “That is bullshit. You were undercover for months. Everyone knew except Simmons and me. Why?”

My shoulders sag. “I did some horrible things, Skye. I wanted to do some good.”

“What does that have to do with me?” She demands.

“I was ashamed.” I admitted and stepped back to lean on the wall. “I knew I betrayed you all. The only people that were supposed to know, were Andrew, Hunter and Coulson. Nobody else was supposed to find out. But one day, Fitz came to find me in Vault D. He tried to kill me and when I saw what I had done to him, I told him the truth. Coulson told May. And when Gonzales showed up, Coulson called for me to help. When they made peace, you weren’t there. Coulson told everyone what I’d been doing. He wanted to tell you and Simmons before we left on the mission to find Mike and Lincoln but I told him to wait. I was nervous for you to know what I’d been doing. I knew you’d be mad—feel betrayed.”

We’re both quiet for a while. I’m about to say something but she beats me to it. “I want to trust you. You’ve proven yourself time and time again. And if someone says something, I’m one of the first to come to your defense. Did you know that?” She asks.

I shake my head, holding my breath.

“But if I truly think about it, I think I’m still confused. I don’t know if I can trust you. I trust you with my life and with those of the team but I don’t know that it can be more than that.”

I nod, heartbroken but I understand. 

“Back then, I thought we had this connection.” She sniffs. “How stupid. I don’t know who you are, Ward. I thought I knew you. I thought we understood each other on a level nobody else would but that was a lie.” She’s crying again.

I push myself off the wall. “It wasn’t a lie, Skye. I—”

“Stop!” She holds her hands out to stop me. “Stop. It was a lie, Ward. I don’t know you. You fit nicely into Hydra because you were loyal to them for so long. You said so yourself that you betrayed us. That Ward that I had a connection with didn’t exist. It was a made-up character that you transitioned into when you went undercover.”

I have to make her understand that she has that wrong. I lied about specks about myself but everything she saw from me back then was real. We did have a connection. “Skye—” 

“Stop.” Her voice is shaking again. She’s wiping her tears from her face but there’s too many for her to catch. “Stop. Please.”

“Stop what?” I plead.

“Stop calling me—that’s not my name. I’m not Skye anymore.”

I give her a small, sad smile. “You’ll always be Skye to me.”

She shakes her head. 

In this moment, I don’t see Daisy, Agent Johnson or even Quake. She is Skye. She will always be Skye. Under all the tough exterior and new powers, she is still the girl I fell in love with. She’s grown. She’s come into her own and yes, has some rough around the edges but she’s still Skye. She’s been clinging to May’s ways for so long, her walls are breaking. 

“I need to—” she clears her throat. “I’m going to ask the Director to assign me away from you for the foreseeable future.” Her voice is quiet but determined. “I need time to figure out—you. I have reason to be angry and reasons to why being angry is laughable. I just—I’m lost. All I know is that I can’t work with you.” She looks up to look me in the eye. I think she sees my pain. “I’m sorry. I don’t know if that’s fair or not but I need time.”

I nod. I keep my mouth shut because there’s really nothing else to say.

She walks out of the gym without a goodbye.

I wait until I know she’s gone before I head out. I should have said more. Tried to change her mind—something. She’s been so uptight, so stressed. Skye has always worn her heart on her sleeve. She’s not one to hold back and I feel like that’s all she’s been doing lately. I might not feel better but I think expressing herself tonight might have been good for her. It was only a matter of time before she blew up.

I shower quickly and head off to bed. I lay down and try not to think about the fact that I won’t be seeing Skye like I normally do.

Maybe after she’s had some time, she can learn to trust me. I bolt upright when the other thought of ‘what if she decides to stay away from me’ hits me. 

I’m in panic mode. She has to believe that I was not a total lie. That connection she spoke about was real. It’s what made me open myself to her in the first place. I felt she could understand me. It’s what made me fall in love with her. I have to make her realize how real that was. But how?

An idea forms in my head. Am I willing to do it? YES! 

I have to talk to Coulson about it tomorrow. No matter what she sees, I can put her at ease with it and I hope she sees how real it was.


	19. Chapter 19: Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I cannot thank you all enough for the comments and the kudos. Keep them coming! Enjoy the chapter. Sorry it took me a little longer to post, my health hasn't been the greatest. I made this chapter a little longer than you're used to as a treat and because the story kind of ran away from me a bit. Enjoy.

WARD POV

I wake early, like any usual day and go looking for May. I let her know I'm going to be asking for a couple of days off and ask if she could take over training the Rookies. She eyes me suspiciously but agrees.

I do an hour of combat training followed by an hour of target practice with the rookies before I let them know that I'll be gone for a couple of days and that May will be taking over. They nod and wish me luck.

I run into Fitz while on my way to see Coulson.

"Hey, have you seen Daisy?" He asks.

The way he's acting lets me know he's worried about something. "No. Not today. Why?"

He rubs the back of his neck and shakes his head.

"Come on, Fitz. It's me. What's going on?" I urge.

He hesitates a second, "I—well, I noticed the quakes from last night started on base. I know it was Daisy. I just want to make sure she's ok. Wh—why are you making that face? Do you know what's going on?"

"Look, Fitz…she lost control yester—"

"Daisy doesn't lose control." He looks more worried now and steps closer to me. "She hasn't lost control since before her mom. What happened?"

"I don't know. She found me in the gym. She was already upset. We had a…conversation and it didn't go very well. She's fine, I think."

"What kind of conversation?" Fitz tilts his head towards me so he can speak lower. Now he's just being nosy.

"Fitz."

"Come on, Ward. You talked to Hunter all the time and that guy is a bloody idiot. I can at least give you better advice."

I smile and actually laugh a little. I know Fitz misses Hunter too, he doesn't mean any disrespect. And he's right, he does give better advice.

"Skye thinks it's best is she doesn't work with me for some time."

"She what?!" He's loud. "Sorry." He looks around when I give him a look. "Why would she not want to work with you?"

I shrug. "It's complicated. She's going through a lot. She's still getting used to me being back on the team. For a long time, she hated me. She's still angry and she doesn't know why I turned my back on John. I think she feels guilty about shooting me."

With that, Fitz winces. "Yikes. Yes, you're right. Well, tell her why you turned on John. And really, shooting you wasn't her fault. We all tried to kill you." His look turns to anger. "You know I'm angrier at you for lying to us about being undercover than for really being Hydra."

We both frown at his comment.

He shrugs. "It's your fault for almost getting killed. You could have saved us a lot of anger and hate if you and Coulson would just have come out with your whole plan." Fitz searched my face. "So, you're just going to let Daisy distance herself from you."

I nod. "I hate it but I'm not going to pressure her into working with me. She should have people by her side that she trusts. If you can't trust the person beside you then the mission will fail."

"But she CAN trust you."

"She just needs time, Fitz. But I do have a plan to maybe speed that up. Although, it may bite me in the ass."

"Tell me. Can I help?"

He looks too eager and it makes me smile. Sometimes I have to thank John for making me come undercover for Coulson. It's what started all this. I started to change because I fell in love with Skye but Fitz, Simmons, May and Coulson all had a place in changing my views of the world. I admired May and Coulson. Coulson is what I wish John would have been for me. Fitzsimmons were like my younger siblings—younger siblings that were in love with each other. Gross. That makes my skin crawl.

"What?" Fitz watches me visually shiver at my last thought.

"Nothing."

"Are you going to tell me?" He's losing patience with me.

"I'm going to ask the Director for some time off—"

"Some time off?! That's not a plan! That's the opposite of a plan—that's—"

"Let me finish." I shush him. "I thought about letting Skye read my file."

Fitz looks at me lost and I see the moment he understands what I'm talking about.

"Are you mad? You can't let her read your file."

"Why not?"

"Ward, those files have everything. Those were strictly for Andrew and Andrew alone. Nobody should have access to the inside of your head like that but you and your doctor."

I thought of that. "Fitz. She's confused. She doesn't know who I am. She doesn't want me around her. This is the perfect solution. After she's read it, she can make her choice. She can forgive me and see why I've done what I've done or—"

"She can hold it against you for the rest of your life?" He finishes.

"Yea, there's that."

He's shaking his head. "Well, you're desperate so you'll try anything, I suppose. If you think it's best, I'll stand by you one way or another."

"Thanks, Fitz." I try changing the subject. "How's Simmons?"

He thinks about that for a moment before answering. "She's ok, I think. I'm going to see her right now, actually. Do you want to come?"

"To the lab?" I guess.

He nods.

"No, I have to go talk to Coulson."

"Good luck." Fitz calls after me.

When I arrive at Coulson's office, his door is open and he's shuffling some papers around. He doesn't look happy.

I knock on the open door and he looks up to see me. My presence brings a frown to his face. "Come in. Close the door."

My eyebrows shoot up. "What's going on, Sir?"

"Funny you should ask but I was waiting for you to tell me." He's really upset.

"Sir, I'm not following." I sit across his desk and he comes around to sit next to me.

"Do you want to tell me why I had Daisy request not to work with you on any missions for the time being?" He searched my eyes.

Damn. She'd already talked to Coulson?

"What the hell is going on, Ward?" His tone had cooled off and now he looked surprised and confused.

I didn't know how to start. "She warned me she'd be talking to you but I was hoping I'd have the chance to speak to you first. What did you say?"

"What did I say?" Coulson humorless chuckles. "I told her this is SHIELD not some damn 8-5 job. She can't just request not to work with you on missions. I told her this wasn't a playground."

I nod. Coulson is wrapped around Skye's finger and we all know it. He likes to play like he has some control over her and usually he does…when they're both playing nice.

"How long are you keeping us separated?" I ask, hiding my smile.

Coulson's eyes narrowed because I hadn't apparently hidden my smile completely. "I told her she had a month to get over it." Coulson gets up and goes around to sit on his chair. "You work well together. I reminded her of that. What happened?" He wants to know, probably so he can help.

"Skye and I hadn't had a chance to talk and when we did, it didn't go well." I explain. "I think she's still trying to decide if she forgives me or not. She doesn't know the whole story and frankly, I don't think she'd like to hear it from me."

Coulson sighs. "We had this huge blowout, just before you came back." His confession takes me by surprise. "It was after you'd jumped through that damned portal. She was freaking out and yelled at all of us for lying to her. She was powerless with you and Fitz gone. So, she lashed out. It was over the phone and I wish she would have done it with me in the room. She knows she can trust you, Ward. She just hasn't admitted it to herself yet."

"She doesn't know what happened?" I prompted.

"With you?" He asks and I nod. "No. I didn't tell her much. I didn't think it was my place." He eyes me. "I thought it would be a conversation the two of you should have."

We are both silent for a moment. I can see where he's coming from but at the same time it probably would have been easier for him to talk to her before I came back. "I don't think she's there yet. I know she wants to know but at this point, I don't think she wants to hear it from me."

"It's your story to tell, Ward. I told her that you came to me and turned Garrett over but I didn't tell her why. I did tell her that you'd been undercover and most of the things she thinks you did you didn't actually do. I explained about Fitzsimmons but she was too upset to ask any questions and I didn't know what was ok to say or not say."

"Which brings me to why I'm here. I want to know if you have a copy of my file?" I look at him evenly and wait for him to react.

Coulson frowns. "Your file?" His frown disappears and he understands. "Your file—file?"

I only nod.

He looks at me for a moment. I can see him going over things in his head and trying to decide how this will play out. "That's a lot to show someone."

I agree with him but I'm desperate.

"I'm sorry, Ward. Even if I wanted to give it to you, I couldn't. I don't have it."

"What do you mean you don't have it?" I knew this was a possibility.

"I never had it. Andrew would see you, take his notes, and then came to see me after and gave me a verbal report. The only thing in your file is my simple notes on your progress but no actual details. But do you really think you could hand something like that over?"

I shrug. "It's me. It's the most honest side of me. I know it's a lot to give to someone but if anybody deserves to know it's her. If I trusted anyone with that information, it would be her."

"That I can agree with but I'm sorry, Ward. I simply don't have what you need."

I thought I was remembering wrong but now I know that my memory of Andrew telling me he wasn't uploading anything, was correct. "I was afraid of that. I'd like to take some time off to go to Andrew's office and find my file."

Coulson's eyes widened but he looks at me for a moment before answering. "Keep your phone on in case I need you."

I sigh in relief. I really thought I'd have to argue with him on this to convince him. He shakes my hand and wishes me good luck. He reminds me that Mack is going to be gone too so I might be needed.

I go straight to my room and grab my bag. It's always ready to go.

I call May when I get to Andrew's office. I let her know Andrew doesn't look like he's been here and she gives me the code to bypass his alarm. I take all the next two days to look through his office but I don't find anything.

My next stop is his home.

TWO WEEKS LATER

WARD POV

I'm relieved when I finally find my folder. It's a thick one. Andrew wrote pages for every time he saw me. He wrote notes of things we discussed and it looks like he wrote off the top of his head because he never brought anything with him. He also has noted in the margins.

I don't read through anything. I put the file in my bag and head out. I take a look at the room I'm in and make sure nothing is out of place. I put everything back where I found it.

I shouldn't have been gone this long but May asked me to search for any clues to help us find Andrew. So, the searching kind of got away from me. In the end, I don't find anything. Andrew hadn't stepped foot in any of the places I searched since the transformation.

When I get to base, the first person I see is Simmons. She's smiling. "Happy hunting?"

"You could say that."

"Did you find it, then? The file?"

Of course, she knows what I was looking for. Nothing stays secret on the base. "Who all knows?"

She shrugs. "Just Fitz, May and I. Really, we weren't going to tell anyone what you were up to." Her smile drops and she looks at me more seriously. "No signs of Dr. Garner?"

I shake my head. "No. It doesn't look like he's been to any of his properties." I look around, looking for May. "How is she?"

"Stressed. We have dedicated several servers to try and find him. We came up with an algorithm." Simmons looks stressed. "We have to find him. Lord knows what he's up to."

Her guilt is written all over her face. "It wasn't your fault, Jemma."

She gives me a tight smile. "I better hurry along. I'm late for target practice."

"You have target practice?" I almost laugh but the look on her face stops me in my tracks.

"I'm tired of being the damned damsel in distress." She gives me one last look and she's off. I watch her go and know I should have said more.

I shake my head and make my way to Coulson's office to let him know I've arrived.

"Glad you're back." Coulson says on his way out of the office. "We're on our way out. We intercepted a call to authorities from a civilian looking for an Agent Daisy Johnson. He said Hydra was going to kill him."

"Who is he? Do we know how he knows her name?" I'm in agent mode now. Who was looking for Skye?

Coulson is shaking his head. "No idea. We're on our way to him now. And I'd ask you to come along but—"

"I'm not allowed to work with Skye." I finish, understanding.

"I'm talking to her after this. I'm giving her this one op but no more. I will not be told who to assign or not assign to something. Dammit. Are you sure about your plan of action?" He looks sideways at me as we walk down the hallway towards the hanger.

"Yes, Sir. Now more than ever." I've thought about it while I was gone and came to the same conclusion. Skye needs an unbiased opinion of me and she won't get it from any of us.

We enter the hanger as she's getting into the Zephyr. She raises an eyebrow at me and gives Coulson a look and enters without saying a word.

"She knows I'm the Director, right?" Coulson gives a dry laugh.

I shrug. I may love Skye and like that she pushes Coulson but I don't like this feeling of staying behind. I want to go and help. "Use your Director's voice. Remind her who's boss." I suggest. He knew how to scare Skye or make her obey when he wanted to.

He nods and begins to walk away. "Mack's out because he's still recovering. We need all hands-on-deck. Hold down the fort while I'm gone."

"Wait." I call after him. "What happened to Mack? Skye's going in without a partner?"

Somebody bumps me from behind. "Her name is Daisy and she has a partner. Me." Lincoln throws over his shoulder as he joins Coulson on the jet.

I clench my jaw and I can feel it twitch. "Dammit." I turn back around and head inside.

The team is back hours later and we're near Coulson's office, all sitting in silence as we hear what Skye experienced.

"Do we even know if this is possible?" Asks May. Nobody answers her.

We're all worried. What Skye is saying will happen is appalling to think about. How do I protect her from something that hasn't happened yet?

"I don't know." Skye places the ice pack back against her temple. "My head is pounding."

"You're sure it was the future?" Simmons asks for the millionth time.

"My whole face was covered in…" Lincoln leans towards Skye.

"Uh huh." She nods, leaning against the table, her head in her hands.

I can see Fitz moving side to side in his chair from my corner of the room. He needs to stop, it's putting me on edge. His eyes wander across the ceiling as he thinks about things.

"And Coulson shoots you?" Fitz asks Skye.

Skye answers with a very tired, "yup."

I push off the wall that I'm leaning on and come closer.

Coulson looks at me and then turns back to Skye. He's lost. He can't lose Skye just as I can't lose Skye. She's our everything. She's his surrogate daughter. She's the love of my life.

"Is this even possible?" Coulson repeats May's earlier question but he directs it at Fitzsimmons.

Everyone starts talking at once. Fitzsimmons from what I gather are trying to explain it, Skye is arguing that the guy who called knew everything was going to happen and May and Lincoln were just noise added to the bunch.

"So, we all agree it's a possibility." I speak louder to finish the conversation.

"Where do we go from here?" Coulson looks around the room.

Skye looks determined. She looks at me for a second before she looks at Coulson. "I can change it."

"No." Fitz says immediately.

Skye argues, "We can reverse-engineer the visions, figure out where this went wrong and get there ahead of it."

"To save that poor man." Simmons agrees.

"You can't." A frustrated Fitz snaps. "I mean, fourth-dimensionally speaking, is all. If you saw the future, then that's the future."

"Say what?" I ask curiously as I sit at the table.

"I don't want to believe that." Skye shakes her head. "I can't explain how it felt but it was awful. I felt so helpless. I was inches away from him. I have to save him."

"Edwin called in your name for a reason." Lincoln agrees. "Maybe you're meant to change it."

"The homeless man, Charles. Do we know what he looks like?" I ask. We couldn't plan without knowing all the players.

"We're running a search." May answers me. She's somber, even for May.

"If Daisy can remember details about the location and we get there in time—" Coulson starts, only to be interrupted by Fitz.

"Guys, there is no time." Fitz is so frustrated, he's looking at the ceiling. "She glimpsed the fourth dimension. Time is an illusion. It's how we perceive the fourth dimension." He looks around the room and doesn't like what he sees, so he turns to Simmons. "Simmons."

I'm lost as to what he's saying, so I look to Simmons to maybe shed some light but I'm not hopeful.

"It's mathematics." She explains. "He's talking about space-time."

"How do you—" Fitz starts again, looking around for something. "How can I explain this?" He grabs a stack of papers and a marker. "Right. We're 3D. Yeah?" He moves around the table so that everyone can see him better. "Ok but imagine—imagine we lived in a 2-dimensional existence—flat just like a piece of paper." He picks a piece of paper up to see if we're all following.

I nod along with everyone else in the room. I can't help the frown lines on my face.

"We wouldn't be able to conceive three dimensions of—of—of a cube—or anything that isn't 2 dimensional. Ok?" He's looking to see if he still has us.

Coulson says "Yeah," to keep Fitz explaining.

"Right, so we flat paper people," Fitz opens the cap to the marker and draws something on the stack of papers, "would perceive this 3-dimensional cube as many separate 2-dimensional moments." He turns to let us see the line from one corner to the next on the stack of papers. "As time passing—" he flips the papers so we see the segments in the single sheets, "the point on the line traveling through space and time."

"But in fact, the cube—the line is fixed." Simmons explains.

"Yea, it's just sitting there. There's no future. There's no past." Fitz hits the paper. "It just—it just is. And nothing you can do can change that." He knows that's not what Skye wants to hear.

"You're hurting my brain." May accuses.

I feel the same as I continue to look at the stack of paper, trying to figure out what he's just said.

"Look," Coulson says loudly calling our attention, "I don't know if Fitz is right or if I even understand what he's saying, really," I nod to that, confused, "but Hydra has this guy. And we gotta try to stop them. I think I might have a strategy."

"We're all ears." Lincoln echoes my thoughts and I don't like it.

"All we have to do to guarantee that we change the outcome is not let Daisy out of the base." Coulson says matter of factly.

I wince. I know she's isn't going to like this.

"What?" She looks at Coulson like he's insane. "No. I have to go help him."

"The one thing we know for certain is that Daisy was at the center of these visions, whereas May and Ward don't appear on any of them." Coulson finishes his brilliant idea. I like it.

"Look, I get the logic but I can handle this myself." Skye stands and steps away from the table.

"I'm sorry." Coulson uses his Director's tone. "May and Ward go instead."

"Coulson…" Skye tries to argue, "I was meant to save him."

"I'm sorry, Agent Johnson. Am I not making this clear? Am I or am I not the Director of SHIELD?" He's gone to high-level Director Nick Fury tone.

Skye's head drops and she bites the inside of her cheek.

"If you want to try to stop this man from dying then this is how we're doing it." Coulson's voice comes down a notch but he's still giving orders. "Understood?"

Nobody says anything. I don't think I've ever heard him use that tone.

"Lincoln and I will chase down any intel we can on the homeless man. Daisy remembers every detail you can about where this happens and then we'll send May. Ward can go with her. Nobody else goes. I won't pick up a gun until this is finished." As we all listen, Skye is making her way out of the room. She'll listen to Coulson but she's pissed. "And Fitzsimmons will stay out of the damn snow. Are we clear?"

"Ward is in on this?" Skye asks. She's pissed because she can't go and is even madder because she knows I will be.

Tough.

"I have already stated that he would be. That's not changing." Coulson walks over to Skye. I think she may have pushed him too much.

Skye struggles for a second and when she speaks, it's in a softer tone, "I thought—we talked—I thought he wouldn't be joining us for some time." She was dancing around the subject.

Coulson's eyes tightened. "You mean about you asking me to keep Ward away from working with you?"

Skye's lips tighten.

I see Lincoln snap his neck towards Skye, his eyes glaring at her.

Fitzsimmons look uncomfortable.

May and I share a look and wait to see what will happen.

"Seeing as you'll be on base and not on this op, I don't see why he can't be involved." Coulson continues. "Everyone, get to work." He turns away and heads to his office, motioning to Lincoln to follow him.

Skye closes her eyes to compose herself before walking out of the room.

Everyone goes to do their tasks and I head to my room to write my letter to Skye. If I'm going to leave her my file, I might as well tell her why I'm doing it.

My Dearest Skye,

I'm told giving you this file is not a good idea. There are things in here that you may not like and that's ok. I don't know if this will help or destroy me but this isn't about me. This is about you. You deserve to know me like I know you. Not everything about me was a lie. I've lied to you a lot but that back then—that connection you said we had—that was real. There is nobody else I would trust with this information.

I killed Victoria Hand and a lot of innocent people while following John. I went back to Providence because I had orders to bring you back. Those last moments with John before I came back is what cemented the end of my loyalty to him. I was going to do all I could to keep you safe and then we had Orientation. I knew I'd fail, so I as my last resort, I went to Coulson.

I sat in that damn chair anyway. Coulson wanted to know what I was telling him was the truth. He hated me at first too. You have every right to feel the way you're feeling and I completely understand why you can't trust me. So, here I am. The good. The bad. The ugly. This is me—raw. Andrew had to peel me layer by layer. He helped me but not before uncovering some nastiness. I don't know what's in here. Nobody but Andrew knows and now you.

Stepping foot on that bus was the best thing that ever happened to me. I respect and admire Coulson and May. Fitzsimmons are the second chance to be an older brother. I never would have come to care about them the way I do without you. You were what I never factored in when joining Team Bus. You are what shattered my shell day after day, week after week. I am the man that stands here today because of you. You made it possible for me to change. You saved my life by simply being you.

Whatever happens after this, I want you to know that I see YOU. I don't call you Daisy because you are Skye. You will always be Skye. I understand why you chose to go by that name. In some way that's who you were supposed to be. It's who you would have been if not for Hydra. It's keeping the memory of the good in your parents alive. It's honoring Cal. BUT Skye is open. Skye is humble. She is smart, funny, caring, energetic and a little bit of a clown. You've changed out of necessity but you will always be that bright-eyed girl who I threw a bag over, who was living in her van. You've come into your own and are one badass woman now. Don't let all this change you too much because the Skye I know and love will save the world.

Yours,

Grant Douglas Ward

I've had to rewrite this letter over and over because I can't get it right. After the 10th time, I give up. I have no time for this. I need to be helping May figure this whole future thing out. I fold the last draft of the letter and tape it to my file, writing Skye's name on the top.

I'll give it to her tonight. I will make damn sure nothing happens to her and this future doesn't come true. I don't care what Fitz says. Skye will not die on my watch.

Coulson's team finds the homeless man's wife. His name is Charles Hinton and he is married to a woman named Polly. They bring her in and Coulson decides there's no harm in letting Skye talk to her.

We gather in his office to watch Skye talk to Polly. Maybe she can give us something to go on.

I tense when Polly admits that they tried stopping the flashes Charles had before leaving, from coming true time and time again. It makes me sick to my stomach. What have we stumbled into?

Later, May tells me to meet her, Lincoln and Fitzsimmons in the training room. She has an idea but she needs to talk to Skye.

When she sees my confused look, she says she's going to ask Skye to recreate what she saw and teach us how to get to Charles faster.

"You're good."

She rolls her eyes. "Gather tables and mats and get Fitzsimmons and Lincoln to help." She tells me as she walks away.

I call Fitzsimmons and Lincoln to tell them what we're doing. We get all the supplies ready so by the time May and Skye show up, we're ready to go.

"Let's go over this again and again until we can cut the time. Ward will run it with me. Two will get it done faster than one." May is telling Skye.

"Where do you want all this?" I ask from behind a table.

Skye looks at everything we've gathered and smiles. She's excited about this. She asks for chairs as she starts telling us the layout of the room.

We all move in her direction and for the time being, I feel like we have a chance.

We go over and over what Skye saw in her head. Once excited, she's now frustrated. "No. No." She covers her face for a second. "Fitz, you're supposed to come when—what's your name again?"

I roll my eyes. It's one of my rookies. "His name is Doug." I tell her when he looks at her with awe but doesn't answer.

She tells Fitz to come at the heels of Doug.

I don't notice Coulson walk in but I do hear Lincoln explaining what we're doing.

"It'll be half the time if we have both Ward and May there." Coulson states the obvious.

Skye gives him a look.

"We've already been through that scenario." I explain to Coulson. "Skye is positive only one of us will make it to the room. In case that does happen, we're each learning to do it on our own." I huff. While it's a good idea, I still think we won't need it.

"Again." Skye demands, avoiding my eyes.

We keep at it again and again. Everyone is losing patience and I can hear Fitzsimmons bickering in the background.

I ignore them as I watch May come in and do it all again. I'm resting as I've just finished my run. My time was perfect but Skye wants to see if May can beat it.

On the second go around, May beats my time by three seconds.

May quickly turns to me with a smile on her face. I can't help the smile that also appears on mine, even if all I want to do is roll my eyes. She's rubbing it in my face that she's faster than me.

Just then, Agent Maxwell comes in to tell the Director that they found the building.

After Skye looks at the building, she agrees that it's the right one.

Coulson starts barking out orders. May and I are going with the strike team. We can't use comms because Malick will be ready for that.

It's going to be hard to even get in because they have Charles who can tell them everything we're going to do.

Skye is warning us not to go to the roof if we see Charles.

The alarms overhead start going off. We all stop and look at each other.

"What does that mean?" Lincoln asks.

Coulson looks to me as he answers. "Intruder."

Just then, the yellow vault doors start to open.

May and I already have our weapons drawn.

My body runs cold as we all watch Andrew being walked in by SHIELD agents. His arms are up, behind his head as he walks towards us.

Agent Dawson is the one to explain. "He just walked in, Sir. Surrendered himself."

"Why?" May asks Andrew.

"Lash is taking over. I'm about to turn for the last time, May. I came to say goodbye." Andrew answers. He looks genuine in what he's saying.

Coulson, May, Skye and I follow the agents as they take him to a module.

Coulson doesn't surprise me when he tells us that May can't go.

May doesn't take this well. "What? Yes, I can."

"You heard him, May. He's about to turn for the last—"

"That man is a killer." She interrupts Coulson. "I have no loyalty to him. The man that I cared about wouldn't do those things."

"He wasn't himself." I defend Andrew.

Coulson nods and adds, "He's saying he won't ever be himself again. If you don't go with him right now, you're going to regret that the rest of your life."

"I'll do it, May." Skye jumps in.

"Absolutely not." Coulson and I say at the same time.

"Ward is the backup. You stay here." Coulson continues.

We have not noticed Andrew and the agents have stopped walking. "Ward?"

I turn to look at Andrew.

"I have to—I have to speak to you too."

"It can wait." I answer in anger. I agree that May should see him but nothing is keeping me out of stepping in for Skye.

"It's important." Andrew says seriously. "Coulson, I promise you. Ward has to hear this."

I boil over. "I am not staying. You can say your peace to May but Skye can't go." I finally turn to Coulson and I can see something passing between him and Andrew. "Sir, Skye can't go. I can do this."

"Sir, I'm the best choice for this and since Bobby is gone, and Ward can't go, I'm the only one left who can." Skye argues.

"You're not unstoppable, Daisy." May argues.

"I'm willing to put that to the test." Skye doesn't back down.

I'm holding on to my anger. "Sir, if she goes then it all plays out like her vision—"

"So, then everybody stays behind." Skye cuts me off. "Sir, you stay back with Fitzsimmons and Lincoln. Nobody leaves HQ."

Coulson looks to us. He's debating. I'm shaking my head.

"Sir, I can do this." Skye is confident. "I am meant to save this man. I can feel it. Let me go."

Coulson stares straight at Skye. "Ward, May stay here. Daisy come with me." And without another word, both Coulson and Skye nod and walk off.

"Dammit." I look at Andrew. He's giving me a funny look. "This better be worth it. And if anything happens to Skye—" I couldn't finish my thought.

We take Andrew to a room attached to a module. Someone has collected Simmons and she and Fitz have an IV ready to go.

"What's this?" Andrew asks.

"You're dismissed." I tell the Agents and they all filter out.

"I can finish, Fitz." Jemma informs him but Fitz shakes his head.

"I'll stay until then." Fitz glances at Andrew and then turns his attention back to Simmons.

"We—we think we may have found something that can help you." Simmons tries to smile. She's trying not to look afraid, although she does look a little sad.

"A cure?" Andrew questions. "There's no cure for this, Jemma."

"Yes, well…no harm in trying." She gestures to the bed.

Andrew lays his jacket down and sits.

It only takes minutes for Simmons to finish and she and Fitz leave.

"What did you want to say to me?" I push off the walk and walk towards him. "I could be helping Skye right now."

Andrew gives me a small smile.

"Just a minute." He tells me and turns to May. "I'm sorry, Melinda. I know I'm not the man you married, but I still love you. I know you did what you think you had to do. I don't blame you for it."

May is trying not to look at him.

"I can step out." I suggest and I make a move to leave.

"No. I—I don't have time. I'll talk to you first. It's important. Melinda, may I speak to Ward for a minute? Alone."

May looks at him suspiciously and then at me.

I nod at her that it's ok.

"I'll be right outside." She steps out and the door automatically closes behind her.

I turn to Andrew.

"What's this about? Skye needed my help? What do you want?" I'm angry. I'm pushing down everything else I feel at the moment.

"I'm sorry, Grant." He says simply. "You've needed me and I wasn't there for you."

I try to focus on my breathing. "You were transforming." I try to excuse him.

"No. I was hunting. I wasn't there for you when Kara—"

"I'm fine."

Andre sighs. "I know but I also know you tend to put things on yourself. There wasn't anything you could have done. Kara didn't want help. She was confused. That's not on you."

I clear my throat. "Is this what you wanted to say? Because It could have waited."

"I know you don't know much about my transformation. This thing in me, Lash—he is trying to help. He is ridding this planet of potential threats. I'm saving lives."

"You were killing people, Andrew."

Andrew shakes his head. "Those Inhumans were dangerous. Lash chooses those worthy. I don't know how he does it—"

"You do it." I clarify.

"I don't know how I know but I do. It—I let Daisy live. Lincoln is another story. That young man has something dark in him. I was just trying to take it out."

"By killing him?" My friend Andrew is no longer there. He'd never say, much less do something like that.

"You're special, Ward. I should have known from the beginning. You've done some horrible things but you have the potential for something great. You see, there's a design in everything. We all exist for a purpose. I don't know what yours is yet but I do know it's important."

I'm confused. "What are you talking about?"

He's reaching for his jacket and looking for something. "It took me a long time to find one of these. It might be the last one left. Jiaying was careful about hiding them."

I step around to see what he's pulled out of his jacket.

"It's your rebirth, Ward." Andrew holds up a blue crystal and drops it at my feet.

What looks like black smoke fills in around me. I can feel it touching my body through my clothes. I look at Andrew with pure panic. "What did you do? What did you do?"

I want to shout to May for help but if she opens the door she's in danger too. My heart rate speeds up and I can feel my body stiffening.

My body is being covered by a black shell. It's painful and I feel like I'm on fire. The black smoke is gone and the pain is reaching my chest. It's making it hard to breathe.

"Are you about—" May comes in. I can see her coming through the door. I only just turn to her when I feel the pain in my neck.

"May." I gasp and then there's darkness.

MEANWHILE THIRD PERSON POV

Coulson, Fitz, Simmons, and Lincoln all watch the security cameras to Andrews room.

"I know you don't know much about my transformation. This thing in me, Lash—he is trying to help. He is riding this planet of potential threats. I'm saving lives." Andrew is seen talking to Ward.

"Hear that, Lincoln?" Coulson throws over his shoulder. "Even he thinks he's serving a higher purpose."

"I got it." Fitz says coming closer to the screens. "It's a pirated signal." He's looking at his tablet and looks up at the screens. The screens switch from Andrew's room to the security cameras where Daisy is headed.

"That's Giyera." Simmons points at the screen. "I'd know his face anywhere."

"Yea. It makes me think maybe we're right." Lincoln answers Coulson. "There was a reason Skye met Charles. She's meant to save his life."

"Could be." Coulson doesn't fully turn around to tell Lincoln. "It could also mean you're all crazy and this is pointless. And nothing we see here will make any sense."

On the screen, Giyera walks away and the man he was talking to, turns toward the direction of the security camera.

Just then the screens go black because the signal is lost.

"What?" Simmons walks toward the screens as if she's seen a ghost.

They're all quiet for a moment, still watching the black screen.

"Who was that?" Lincoln asks pointing. He can see the rest of them are shocked.

"That was Roberts." Simmons answers quietly.

"Unfortunately…I think that's something else." Fitz's voice shakes.

Coulson is still not saying anything.

"Oh my God." Simmons looks at Fitz and then at Coulson.

"Who's Roberts?" Lincoln asks looking around for answers. He could see they were afraid, he just didn't understand why.

Fitz clears his throat. "Roberts was Malick's right-hand man after Giyera."

"Was?" Lincoln asks.

"Ward killed him on Maveth." Coulson clarifies.

"Sir, what is Daisy walking into?" Simmons is terrified.

Just then, an alarm goes off.

"Fitz?" Coulson turns to Fitz for answers on the alarm.

"It's coming from Andrew's module." Fitz answers and throws the security feed on the screens.

"Oh my God!" Simmons screams and starts running.

Coulson, Fitz, and Lincoln watch as May kicks Andrew against the wall and shoots him into the smaller module.

There's a body enveloped in a cocoon just behind her in the middle of the room.


	20. Chapter 20:  Sh!t hits the fan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe it took me this long to post. I'm so sorry everyone. I got really sick, had to prepare for an out of town wedding and began recording a new season for my podcast. I hope you enjoy this chapter. And I'm aiming to release another one by the end of the week. Remember that I LOVE reviews. :)

THIRD PERSON POV  
“What did you do?” May yelled at Lash through the glass. Lash is now in the smaller pod, doubled over. He looks hurt but alive. “What did you do?! You killed him.” May looks back at Ward with a horrified look on her face.

Coulson, Fitz and Simmons run into the module in that moment and all take a second to look at the cocoon that was once Grant Ward.

“I saved him.” Lash tells the team as they all stay silent.

They all turn to him and take a moment to process what he’s said.

“What will he become?” Coulson asks a little afraid to know the answer.

They are still all looking at Lash for answers.

“Something needed when I’m gone.” Lash hits the glass and May presses the button on the smaller module to knock him out as she curses him. When she looks back towards them, she has a pained look on her face.

“Sir, we need to get to Daisy.” An anxious Simmons reminds Coulson as she stares at Ward.

Coulson looks around, trying to think fast. “Right. Simmons, reconfigure this module to anything and everything. Whatever you can think of, place it on this room. Fitz make it so nobody can enter or exit. May, you stay here. If Ward emerges, you have to talk him down. We need to get to Daisy. The creature came back through the portal.” He explains.

May throws Coulson a panicked look as Fitz and Simmons work on what they were told to do. She doesn’t respond to Coulson’s order but merely nods. 

It only takes a few minutes before they are both Fitz and Simmons are done.

“Let’s go. We’ll need Lincoln.” Coulson leaves with Fitzsimmons on his heels. “May, lock him in. Stay out of that room until we’re back. Understand?” He throws over his shoulder.

May looks at Ward one more time, before exiting the room. She walks with her head down. She tells the two men outside the room to close the doors.

One of the men hits the button to close the doors and they both watch as May sinks to the floor against the wall, facing the room.

The men try to ignore the sad look on May’s face. They say nothing, as they are both uncomfortable in this situation. It’s rare to see any emotion from The Calvary and right now, she looks defeated as a tear falls from her eye.

SKYE/DAISY POV  
“I’m fine.” I tell the team one more time as we head back to base. They’re all babying me and I know it’s not just because I lost Charles.

Thinking of him reminds me of the last vision I shared with him of the future. Someone in my team was going to die and I don’t know when. I try to clear my mind as I remember the cross from the visions, dripping with blood.

I look around the rooms again and see them all sharing looks. Something happened and they’re not telling me.

Jemma is trying to examine my injuries but I step away from her, batting her arm gently. I get on my feet and wince. “I’m fine for the hundredth time. Now,” I look around the room at everyone, “can you please tell me what I’m missing? I know something happened. What is it?”

I see Fitzsimmons sharing a look and then they both turn to Coulson and I sigh.

I turn to Lincoln for some support but he shakes his head and points at Coulson. I can’t help but think of him as a chicken.

“Skye…” Coulson starts and I give him a look. “Daisy—dammit. Sorry.” He takes a deep breath and I hold mine. “Whatever was on Maveth came through with Fitz and Ward.”

My whole body turns to ice. I look from him to Lincoln, who only nods. “Wh—what does that mean? Are you sure? What is it?”

“It came back in Roberts’ body.” Fitz explains. “Before we made it through the opening, we figured out Will wasn’t Will. It was something else. Something else in his body. It had all of Will’s memories. We burned his body but Roberts, Malick’s right hand man, was left behind. But he’s back now. We believe the creature took over his body.”

I don’t know what to say. This is bad. My mother was scared to death of this thing for a reason. This isn’t good. We know nothing about this creature.

I’m about to ask what we’re going to do about it when I see Jemma throw a small and very nervous look at Coulson which stops me in my tracks.

“What else?” I clear my throat, trying to contain my anger. I hate when they keep things from me. I’m tired of the lies and secrets and they know it.

“Andrew—he…” Coulson looked defeated. “I’m sorry Daisy. We thought we had them all. We must have left one behind or your mom must have hidden it well. Andrew found it. He came back—”

“Had what?” I’m so confused. Why doesn’t he just come out and say it? I take a breath to calm myself and continue, “What did he find?” They were scaring me. I tried to slow my breathing. I can feel my skin crawling. Lord knows what my mother had that they’re so afraid of.

This is bad. The look of sadness in Jemma, matched with Fitz’s nervousness is enough to make me sick to my stomach. Lincoln won’t look me in the eye and Coulson is looking at me with pity.

“He found a terrigen crystal.” Coulson finally answers and my body freezes. I feel a wave of nausea pass through my body. “He asked May to step out of the room to talk to Ward and—Daisy, are you ok?” 

NO! No! He can’t be dead! He can’t. He’s done so much. Come so far! Dammit, why couldn’t I forgive him?! My body starts to tremble.

Coulson is looking to me for an answer but I can’t speak. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. My body is not cooperating with me. I use every fiber of my being to control my powers. I couldn’t lose control here, while in the air. I might kill someone. Vaguely, I can feel being moved and being talked to but I can’t come out of this bubble. I must control my breathing.

“Daisy, he’s not dead. He didn’t die.” She can hear Fitz from far off. “He’s Inhuman.”

THIRD PERSON POV  
May looked relieved when she saw the team coming down to her.

Daisy was in the lead of the group. She looked badly beaten and held her midsection while she walked towards May.

The others were all talking at once but they were all pretty much saying the same thing. She needed to be checked out before she could even help Ward.

“Where is he?” Daisy asked May.

May nodded towards the door or the containment module. “He’s still in there. As far as we can tell, he hasn’t emerged.”

“I’m going in.” Daisy announced.

“Daisy, do not open that door?” Director Coulson stepped towards the door.

Daisy ignored him as she looked at the touchpad on the door and hacked her way in. The doors opened at once and she didn’t hesitate to walk in. She stopped in her tracks at the sight of Ward’s body surrounded by the cocoon. 

“Daisy, we shouldn’t be in here. There is no protection for Ward or for us if those doors don’t stay closed.” Jemma tried to reason with Daisy as she came up behind her.

“So close them!” Daisy snapped, not looking away from Ward’s body.

“I’ll go get some things to see if we can get a reading on Ward’s vitals.” Fitz placed his hand on Daisy’s shoulder.

Daisy turned to him with a sad look and tried to give him a smile. “Thanks Fitz.”

Fitz cradled the back of her head for a second before existing the room with Jemma in tow.

“Close the door.” Coulson instructed the men and the door immediately closed. He was thankful that some agents at least still listened to him.

Lincoln leaned against the wall and watched, staying very quiet.

“I’m sorry, Daisy. If I knew—I should have known better than to trust Andrew. He—” May tried but was interrupted by Daisy.

“It’s not your fault May.” Daisy turned to Coulson. “Do we know for sure that he’s still alive?” Her eyes filled with tears.

Coulson stepped up and took her into a hug. “He’s alive, Daisy. Lash seemed to think he’d become something needed. I don’t know what that means.”

Coulson stepped away from Daisy and took a closer look at Ward. “We really shouldn’t be in here. We have no idea what kind of power Ward will have.” He turned back to Daisy, “There is nothing you can do for Ward until he’s emerged from,” he gestured toward Ward, “this.”

May stepped forward to escort Daisy out but Daisy pulled away.

“I’m not going.” Daisy is standing her ground and stepping closer to Ward.

“Daisy,” May tried again and reached for her.

“No.” Daisy visually starts to shake and grips her own hands. She takes a deep breath and exhales. “Why is he still in there?”

The doors to the module suddenly open as Fitzsimmons come through with different gadgets.

“We should be able to get a read on him with these.” Jemma informs them as she held up a device with a sort of wand and scans it over Ward’s midsection.

Daisy steps aside keeping a close watch on Jemma.

Fitzsimmons yammer on about Ward but it doesn’t make sense to May, Coulson and Daisy.

“Ward seems to be ok.” Lincoln finally speaks, surprising everybody. He’d been so quiet they’d forgotten he was there. “He seems to be in a sort of hibernation state. He’s alive but in a deep sleep.” He frowns as he eyes Ward and walks around him.

“Lincoln, have you seen this before?” Daisy asks him. “What’s going on? Why isn’t he emerging?” 

Lincoln steps back and shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ve heard that some people awaken at different times. I’m sure he’s fine, Daisy. I’ll prepare the infirmary to help him transition. Call me when he’s ready.” Without another word, Lincoln walked out of the room.

Daisy kept her eyes on Ward when she asked, “Is he in pain?”

Fitzsimmons shared a look before Jemma answered, “There’s really no way of knowing but he looks stable.”

Daisy reached for Ward but stopped short in touching him. “Ward. Can you hear me? It’s ok. You’re going to be ok. Don’t be afraid. We’re all here for you. Don’t—” Daisy suddenly stopped as she swayed on her feet. “I don’t feel…”

May was the closest and quickest to catch Daisy as she began to fall. Daisy was out like a light.

“Daisy.” Coulson panicked. “May is she ok? Jemma?”

After checking her pulse and eyes, Jemma nodded. “I think she’s just exhausted. Her injuries need to be looked at. I’ll run some tests just to make sure.”

Coulson bent down and picked her up. “Let’s get her to the infirmary.”

May opened the door and as they scrambled away, the room started to shake. Everyone looked to Skye but she was still passed out.

Fitz noticed as a small piece of cocoon cracked. A small piece then fell to the floor. “Um…guys. I think…I think Ward is…” Fitz simply pointed when the team turned to him.

Ward was indeed emerging from his cocoon. 

“May, stay with Fitz. Jemma go get Lincoln.” Coulson threw the instructions as she hurried Skye out of the room.

In an instant the rest of the cocoon broke off and Ward fell to his knee.

Fitz was at his feet instantly, trying to help him up. “Are you ok? How are you feeling?”

“Is she ok?” Ward gasped, trying to catch his breath.

Fitz eyes widened. “You were awake for all of it?”

“Fitz?” Ward prompted. 

“Yes. She’s ok, Ward. Jemma will make sure.” Fitz assured him.

“We’re worried about you now.” May came to help Fitz stand Ward up. “Come on. Let’s get you on the bed.” 

Together, May and Fitz helped Ward onto the bed. Fitz laid him back on the pillows as May grabbed his legs up and set them on the bed as well. She then poured him a cup of water and offered it to Ward. “Drink this. Fitz can get an update once Simmons has a chance to examine her. How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted.” Ward’s breathing was uneven. “Can’t catch my breath.” 

Fitz immediately starts checking his pulse. “It’s really elevated. Ward are you experiencing some—"

Ward sat up, grabbing at his midsection. 

“Ward.” Both Fitz and May look horrified at him.

“Hurts.” Ward throws his legs around to place them on the floor.

They jump back from him when they see his skin start to change and his face is becoming distorted. Fitz and May look at each other before they start to back away. Ward looked as if he’s turning into another Lash.

Just then, the door opens and Lincoln comes in. He’s pushing in a gurney. “I heard he was awake.” He announces before looking up.

As Lincoln had come in the door, Ward had gone back to looking like himself but was now thrown back onto the bed. His back arching up as current of electricity came out of his hands.

Lincoln, May and Fitz starred in awe.

Lincoln was the first to move. “At least we know what his power is. I’ll have more to work with, now that I know what he’s going through.” He made his way to Ward. “Ward. I know it hurts. I need you to take a deep breath for me.”

“Lincoln, he doesn’t—he wasn’t—” Fitz is lost at what to say.

Lincoln ignores Fitz, trying to get Ward’s attention.

May pulled Lincoln back, understanding what was going on. “Stay away from him, Lincoln.”

Lincoln leaned over the bed, ignoring Max and grabbed Ward’s arm. “Ward. I need you to focus on your breathing. I’m going to take you to the next module.” Lincoln looked over his shoulder to look at Fitz and May. “There’s no point taking him to the infirmary. He’ll just kill all the equipment. Fitz can you go grab the bag I left on the counter next to Daisy’s bed.”

Fitz nodded and ran out.

May bit down on her lips and tried again, “Lincoln.”

“What?”

“Ward doesn’t have your power.”

Lincoln frowned at her. “What do you mean?”

“As Coulson took Daisy away, the base shook. Did you feel it?”

Lincoln nodded. “What does that have to do with this?”

“Lincoln, Daisy was out when it happened.” May explained. “Just now before you walked in, Ward wasn’t feeling well. He was in pain and started to change into what looked like Lash. As soon as you walked in, he was on his back.” May searched Lincoln’s eyes for understanding. “He doesn’t have your power. I think he’s mimicking it or absorbing it.”

Lincoln looked from May to Ward and back again. He closed his eyes and after a moment, finally spoke. “Now that you mention it, I can feel it. It feels weird. I can feel him. I don’t think he’s absorbing my powers.” Lincoln lifter his hand and let a current pass through his fingers. “I feel 100% but I can feel something touching them. Like a bond.” Lincoln looked back at Ward. “Weird.”

He reached for Ward again, just as a strong current came out from Ward. The current touched Lincoln but didn’t hurt him. 

“Doesn’t that hurt?” May asked, looking at both of them in shock. She looked at Lincoln to see if he was hurt.

“No. It’s like it’s wrapping around me. I’m sure I could send him a strong one and it wouldn’t harm him.” Lincoln shrugged.

May’s face turned to serious. “Don’t try it.” She warned.

Lincoln rolled his eyes. “It was a theory. I’m not going to try to prove it right.” He turned back to Ward. “Ward, I know you can hear me. If you can’t get this under control, you’re going to hurt yourself and this team. Focus. I need you to breathe and trust me. I can help you. You don’t have to like me but I can help you.”

The currents in Wards body lessened and after a couple of minutes, they stopped.

“We’re going to move you to another room. I’m going to do acupuncture on you to help you transition. Your body went through a change. This will help. It may feel like you’re burning from the inside out right now but I promise, I will make this as fast as possible and let you heal.”

Lincoln moved away from Ward to grab the gurney and with May’s help, he got Ward on it and into the next room.

Fitz met them with Lincoln’s bag. “Here.” Fitz handed it over to Lincoln as he leaned over Ward. “Daisy is fine, according to Simmons. She thinks Daisy passed out from her injuries and shock. I’ll keep an eye on her, Ward. I promise.”

Ward slowly nodded and quietly said, “Thanks Fitz.”

After Lincoln had Ward all set up, he backed away. “I’m going to go check on Daisy. Ward, try to relax. I’m expecting you’ll feel better as soon as I’m out of the room.” He turned to May. “Are you staying?”

May nods. “I’ll watch him.”

After he was gone, Ward’s body visually relaxed.

“How do you feel now?” May asked Ward, not moving from the spot she was in by the door.

“The burning went away.” Ward answered her. His voice was already less strained. “You don’t have to stay, May. I’m ok.”

She didn’t answer him and didn’t move. “I’m sorry, Ward.”

“What do you mean?” His eyes stayed closed but he was frowning.

“For what Andrew did. I can’t—”

“Stop, May. I’m alive. You shouldn’t have to apologize. Andrew did this or Lash. Not you.” Ward’s breathing told them both that he was on edge.

WARD POV  
A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER

I stay in the small module as the team discusses plans in the bigger room. I still don’t have a handle on my powers and I either start electrocuting everything or quaking the base.

“Why can’t Ward join in?” Skye pipes in for me. I hide the pleasure it brings me to see her standing up for me.

“Ward has not been cleared for any sort of field work.” Coulson reminds her. “You and Lincoln are looking for the Inhuman and the rest of us will see what is going on in that plant. Giyera was on that base and we have to know why.” Coulson continued his intrusctions. “Ward, I know you hate being left out, which is the only reason we’re here.”

The team was on Malick’s tracks again.

I nod my understanding. Stupid powers.

“Zephyr’s wheels are up in 20.” May announces as she walks out of the room. She gives me a quick nod before disappearing.

“Simmons, any news on what the creature might be?” I ask. I hate feeling left out.

Skye looks like she took a nasty beating but she’s good. Lincoln exits the room and Skye gives me a quick glance before following him out.

“We think It’s devouring his pray. The victims look burned alive but they’ve been eaten.” Simmons answers as she opens my door. 

I step out of the smaller module with a disgusted look on my face. “He eats them.”

“Very quickly.” Fitz chimes in.

“That’s disgusting.” I sit on my bed.

They agree and head out too.

“I found some more books for you.” Mack tells me as Fitzsimmons leave. “I’ll bring them by when we get back. How are you doing with the other ones?”

I grab them from the end table and hand them to him. “All done.”

Mack chuckles. “You need to slow down with the reading.”

“It’s all I can do besides working out.” I lean against the table and put a knee up.

“Yea, about that. If you keep adding pounds of muscle, you’re going to reach my size. It’s all I bring to the table. That and my shotgun ax.” He’s moving to leave.

It’s my turn to chuckle. “You’ve got that and your brain. You can go toe to toe with Fitz.”

“I don’t know about that but it’s nice that you think so. I better get going. We’ll make sure to see you after. Get some sleep. You look like you could use it.”

“Did you just say I look like shit?” I call after him and I hear him laugh.

Mack’s been great with me being an Inhuman. He and I have gotten close and I think it’s because we both lost Hunter, although he lost Bobbi too.

The only good thing about Lincoln and Skye being gone, is that I can walk around the base and not be confined to my new room.

I grab some clothes and make my way to the showers. It’s nice to walk around. Skye and Lincoln try to stay out of my way so I can come out of my room but it’s been a busy couple of days. 

Later, I’m reading in my room when Agent Jones walks in looking anxious. “Sir, we have a situation.”

I’m on my feet and he leads me towards the conference room. “What’s the problem? Is it the team?”

“Yes, Sir. Director Coulson and the team had apprehended Giyera and were bringing him here but he got lose and took over the plane. Agent Johnson is with Agent Campbell. They’re on the line waiting for you.” He explained. He looked like a soldier, delivering news. He showed no emotion.

“Dismissed.” I enter the conference room. “Skye?”

“Ward.” She sounded relieved to hear him. “Giyera took the team to Hydra’s base in the Netherlands. I’m going after them.”

“Skye, what happened?” I need her to tell me everything that I missed.

“I don’t know.” Skye answers and I can hear her frustration. “Coulson had Giyera. He must have gotten lose somehow. I received a call from May telling me what he’d done and then—I’m assuming she was knocked out. The line went dead after that.”

The uneasiness feeling of Hydra having our team spread through me. “OK. Are you on your way back to base? I can be ready by the time you land.” I’m already thinking of the things I need to grab before she gets here.

There’s silence on the other end of the line.

“Skye?” I’m hesitant because I don’t know what’s going on or what she’s thinking.

“We’re not going to get you, Ward.” Skye answers sadly and slowly.

My blood boils. “What?!” I want to yank my hair out. “Yes, you are.”

“Ward, you aren’t cleared yet.” Lincoln comes on the line to remind me.

“So clear me!” I speak through my teeth. The idea not to have me involved was probably his. He’d probably talked Skye out of letting me join them.

“I can’t do that. You haven’t practiced with your powers enough. You still can’t control mimicking and replicating our yet. Hydra has Inhumans on their side. We can’t take the risk of bringing you when it’ll do more harm than good.” Lincoln argues and I can’t help but agree because it’s true. 

“I’ll stick around those who don’t have any powers.” I protest.

“Ward, I know you want to help but I think Lincoln is right.” Skye chimes in. “Look, I’m calling you to let you know what’s going on. We’re picking up Joey and Yo-yo. They can help us get the team back.”

“Skye—”

“I know. I know how you feel, Ward. Believe me. When I first got my powers, I felt useless. I was causing destruction and it didn’t do me any good if I couldn’t even help the team. But this will get better. I pushed for you this morning because I remember what that feels like but I wasn’t thinking. You have to come back when you’re prepared. Once you get a handle on your powers, there won’t be anything you can’t do but for now, you have to sit this out. I’ll call you when we’ve picked Yoyo and Joey up and have a plan.”

I’m so frustrated but I know she’s right. There are a million ways I can mess things up for them if they were to pick me up. Joey and Elena don’t have any official training but they’ve helped before. I trust Skye to know what she’s doing with her Secret Warriors.

“Ok. Call me. I’ll see what Fitzsimmons uploaded onto the server before they were taken. Maybe there’s something we’ve missed.” I sit on the chair defeated and turn on a tablet that is sitting on the table.

Skye hangs up without another word and I try to focus on what information the team found before they were captured.

I pour over the information for hours and don’t completely understand what the company Malick took over was doing.

My brain is starting to hurt from all of Simmons’ notes and I have ants in my pants because I need to be doing more than just sitting here.

Skye calls back. She wants her team to skydive into Hydra’s facility through some service wells that will get them close enough. The only bad thing is that they don’t know how many men are at the facility or who or what is in there.

I’m at the edge of my seat. “Skye.”

“Yea?”

I close my eyes tight and pray into my hands that everything goes well. “Please be careful.” I wait for her response but there’s nothing. “All of you, please. And call me when you have the team.”

The line goes dead and it’s a waiting game for me. Again.

Instead of sitting and waiting around, I look for something to do. I go to the med bay and have a couple of medical agents get it ready. I have no way of knowing if any our team members will be injured. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared. 

I make a checklist and run through it and make sure everything is running smoothly on our side. Other teams that Coulson had sent on out missions check in or arrive.

When I’m done with my list, I head to the kitchen.

I think I’ll make some dinner for everybody. They’ll be hungry and I need to keep busy. I start by washing and dicing some vegetables. I can make some stir fry and rice.

I’m finished with the meal and have everything in warmers when my phone rings. I rush to grab it and I feel myself sigh in relief. It’s Skye.

“Skye?” I wait to hear her voice.

“I have them, Ward. We’re coming home.”

My body relaxes of being tensed for hours. Those are the sweetest words I’ve heard all day.


	21. Chapter 21: Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. Thanks for all the reviews. we're getting near the end. I hope you like the chapter. Remember to leave the reviews.

WARD POV  
I meet everyone at the hangar. Anxious to see with my own eyes that everyone is ok.

Coulson asks me if all the other teams have checked in or have arrived. I update him and he asks me to follow him and I don’t have a chance to see Skye come off the Zephyr.

Fitz is going over data and Simmons is taking over all those hurt when Giyera took over the plane.

Coulson orders men to get Malick off the plane and into an interrogation room. He turns to me and I know what he’s going to ask. He wants me to do the interrogation.

“Sir, with all due respect, I think May should do the interrogating. I’m too close to that situation.” I speak before he has the opportunity to ask. “I’d really like to get to Skye and her team. It’s time I work on these powers. I hate feeling useless.”

Coulson thinks about this and finally nods his agreement. “Fine. Talk to Skye and Lincoln. I’m sure Elena and Joey would like to help.” He turns his attention back to May. “I’ll do this myself. Get to the infirmary.”

I turn to look at May and I’m surprised to find her bleeding. “May, are you ok?” 

“I’ve had worse.” She answers me and turns back to Coulson. “I can interrogate Mallick.”

But both Coulson and I see her wince as she holds herself up.

“That was an order, Agent May.” Director Coulson instructs.

May gives him a look that gives me chills and walks off. I follow, not wanting to push Coulson.

I find the four of my fellow Inhumans in the locker room. I instantly feel my body reacting to each of them. My pulse quickens, my body trembles, I feel a warmness and I can feel energy surrounding me. I take a deep breath and let my body feel the differences. It causes me pain if I try to fight the reactions.

“Hey.” I greet.

Skye smiles at me and turns to Joey and Elena. “Ward here just got his powers a couple of days ago. He wasn’t able to join us because he can’t control his powers yet.”

“Ooff. Pobre.” Elena says to Joey. (Poor thing).

“Deberiamos decirle que esto es una maldicion.” Joey threw his jacket in his locket. (We should tell him this is a curse).

“Maldicion?” Elena questions. (A curse?).

Joey doesn’t respond but looks down at his hands.

I turn from him to Elena. “Elena, muchas gracias por tu simpatia pero estoy bien.” I smile as she smiles back at me. (Elena, thank you for your sympathy but I’m fine.)

“Hablas muy bien en espanol.” Elena compliments me. “Pero me puedes llamar Yo-yo.” (You speak Spanish very well. You can call me Yo-yo.)

“I’m sorry. I need to get some air.” Joey says as he gets up from his seat and walks out of the room. I look after him and look back to Skye.

“He’s fine.” She assures me but she’s watching him go as if she doesn’t believe her own words. “Lincoln checked out some things that he needs to check back in. Why don’t you see if Yo-yo can help you for a bit and we’ll be right back.”

Lincoln looks like he wants to say something but holds his tongue. He grabs his bag and walks out of the room with Skye at his heels.

“Y eso?” Yo-yo watches them go. (What’s that about?)

I shrug and ask her if she’s willing to help me.

“Of course, but how can I help you?” She asks me in English.

I explain my power to her and she looks interested. I decide to do this in the gym and she follows me. 

When we arrive, we sit on the mats and I ask her how her power works.

She explains that everything in a room slows down and she just runs. I try not to roll my eyes at that because it’s really not explaining anything. I ask her more specific questions and she answers them as best she can. We talk for about an hour before she tells me that she’s going to try to show me.

“Cierra tus ojos y relajate.” (Close your eyes and relax).

I take a deep breath and do what she instructs me to do.

After a couple of minutes, she finally spoke again. “Siente el espacio entre los latidos de tu corazon. Los sientes?” Her voice was calm and strong all at the same time. (Feel the space between your heartbeats. Can you feel it?)

I focused on my heart beats and continued my breathing. It took me a couple of minutes before I understood what she meant and when I finally did, it pulled me in. I could feel the beat of my heart but the once quick beat that followed was now empty. There was a space and for a minute, I thought my heart wouldn’t beat again. It was like life had stood still and I felt the air around me get colder. 

I opened my eyes, focusing on my heartbeat still. Yo-yo was smiling at me.

“It will become easier as you practice.” She stands and pulls me up. “Now, do it again but this time run.”

I matched her smile and continued to focus on my heartbeat. It was back. I could feel the lapses between them now. It was so clear. It felt like I’d been feeling them all my life.

I took a short breath and ran. Everything around me seemed to slow down. People in the hall were moving like slugs. I noticed all the details in their clothing.

An agent was standing at the end of the hall holding a tablet. I ran to him and grabbed the tablet just as my next heartbeat was starting. Instantly, I was back in the room with Yo-yo.

She laughed at the tablet in my hands. “You might want to give that back.”

I did and was back in a flash.

We practiced a little longer and talked. Yo-yo, I learned, loved her powers. She saw them as gifts from God and wanted to use them to do good in the world.

It wasn’t long before Joey found us. He asked what we were doing and I explained to him about my powers. He looked impressed.

He walked over to a table in the corner and said, “Melt it.”

“You have to tell me how your powers work before I can do it.” I explained.

He smiled. “Ward, you will not always have that. What if you’re facing an opponent with powers? How will you defend yourself? Will you ask them for lessons too?” Joey was baiting me.

“Porque eres asi? Seguro que tu mama te quizo como bebe?” Yo-yo laughed. (Why are you like this? Are you sure your mother loved you as a child?)

He had a point. I closed my eyes and concentrated.

I could feel power coming form Yo-yo and the calmness that came from her powers. I pushed that aside and felt around the room. It didn’t take me long to feel the warmness coming from Joey. It was like I could feel heat coming from him. I concentrated on that heat and all of a sudden, I could feel things in the room. I could feel the coldness in items in the room. They felt foreign to me. The table in the corner by Joey was another story. I could feel the shape of it. Its temperature hummed at me.

That same warmness filled my body now. I found I could change the temperature in the object. I moved toward the table and raised my hand, focused on raising the temperature of it and just like that, the table melted on the side.

Joey looked shocked that I’d actually done it. He looked from the table to me and back at the table. “You are a quick learner. Daisy told me about you.” Joey shook his head. “Do you know how long it took me to learn to control my powers? Or how long it took for me to actually learned how to use them??

Yo-yo laughed with Joey. “Very impressive.”

“Ward, I’m sorry. I know you want to practice but do you think I can talk to Elena for a minute?” Joey’s demeanor had changed and I couldn’t understand the quickness of it.

“Yea. Thank you both.” I exited the room feeling a little smug. I’d just learned how to use two different powers in under an hour.

I head off, looking for Coulson to tell them about the leap I’ve made.

I stop an agent and ask him where Coulson is. Surprise, surprise, he’s in his office.

I walk into Simons saying, “Lucio’s body had some abnormal readings. Maybe we can start there?”

Fitz, Simmons, Mack and Coulson all stop what they are doing and turn to me. There are images of Lucio and other bodies on the big screen.

This is serious. By their body language, I can see I’m not welcomed to the party. “What’s going on? I ask as I close the door behind me and look to each of them.

Fitz continues, “It could help us confirm whether Malick’s full of it.”

Mack and Simmons turn back to Coulson but they look a little weary like I shouldn’t be here.

Thankfully, Coulson continues, “Get me proof. If this is real, any one of them could have been turned or all of them. I need a test,” he tells Fitzsimmons and turns to me, “and then a cure.

“That’s a hell of a gamble.” Mack stands.

“It’s our best shot. We keep everyone contained to the base. If anyone’s infected, they came for a reason. We monitor them, let them show their hand.”

Were they talking about Skye’s team?

“They saved our lives and now we can’t trust the lot of them.” Fitz expression said how powerless he felt.

“What is going on?” I demand.

Mack sat back down.

“We believe the creature, Hive, has the power to mind control Inhumans. Anyone of them could be infected. They were in his base.”

I am at a loss for words. Mind control. “Like Lorelei?”

“Stronger, I think. Malick said Hive becomes a part of them.” Coulson answers, looking away. We never spoke about that. It came up with my therapy sessions with Andrew but I’d never mentioned it to Coulson.

I pushed the thoughts of Lorelei and what she made me do when I was under her control, out of my head and focus on what’s going on now.

“I need you to go to your room and do not come out until everything is under control.” Coulson tells me and just then, the door opens.

“S-sorry.” It’s Skye. “I came when I saw the base was on lockdown. What’s up?” She looks around at us in the room and she looks suspiciously at us.

“It’s a security precaution while Malick’s in custody.” Coulson explains, stepping closer to her.

“Right.” Skye looks like she understands and she’s back to normal. “Did we get any info on Zombie-Roberts?”

“Not yet but I’m confident we will.” Coulson answers.

“Good. If we get any intel let me know. I’d like my team to get another shot at him. Um but you should know, Joey crossed off Lucio. I’m not sure he was ready for that already—to be back in the field after it.”

It surprised me that I was feeling the vibrations in the room almost as if Skye was instructing me on what to look for. I could feel her right next to me and the vibrations of her body, as well as everything in this room—in this building.

“I’ll check in on him.” Coulson said.

I had to get Skye out of here. The longer she stayed in the room. The longer she had to start asking questions. She’d ask why the team was in here without her and Lincoln.

Without closing my eyes, I focused on the vibrations under our feet and let my body hum to them. It was like I was singing or playing an instrument. I pushed the vibration to quicken around us but didn’t push it too hard. I didn’t want to bring this base crashing down.

Everyone instantly grabbed for something.

I looked down at my hands in horror. 

“Ward, go to your room. Now.” Coulson demanded. “Make sure you stay in there and away from the other Inhumans.” He turned to Skye. “Make sure he makes it to his room. See if you can counteract what he’s doing.”

Skye nodded and followed me out the room. I hurry down the hall and try to make it look like I’m trying to make the shaking stop.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could help. Maybe—”

“It’s ok. I’ll talk to Lincoln later.” I dismiss Skye. It’s killing me that I can’t talk to her honestly. Was she infected? Was she under this creature Hive’s control? Would I be able to tell? 

“Grant, please. Stop. I want to help. I—”

I quickened the vibrations under our feet and step away from Skye. “Do you think I want you to see me like this? I can’t control these damn powers. The team needed me and I couldn’t help! You had to go in by yourself.”

Skye’s face fills with sympathy. “I wasn’t alone. My team did great. And you will help in the future. You will get control over your powers, I promise. We can—”

“We can what, Skye. I can’t be around anyone with powers because my body goes insane. All I want is to be around you.” I stop myself. I’m working myself up for no reason. I was trying to take her attention away from what was going on in Coulson’s office and that is now done. So, why am I still talking? “I know you’re with Lincoln. He’s not a bad guy. Look, I’m just going to go to my room now. I’ll see you later.”

Without another word, I leave her in the hall and finish the walk to my room on my own.

I hate keeping Skye out of the loop. I’d promised not to lie to her. All that time undercover didn’t help matters and now that she’s talking to me again, I’m doing it again.

The room’s door closes behind me and I feel defeated once more. I sit and wait for a report from Coulson.

I try to pass the time by reading but it’s not working well, especially when the room shakes and I hear what I know is a bomb from up above.

I immediately go to the door and tap to open it but it stays closed. I hit the door and then an Agent appears in the keypad.

“I’m sorry, sir. Director’s orders. You are to stay in the room.”

My hands ball into fists and my jaw clenches. “That was an explosion. What are you standing around here for? Go help. I’ll stay in the damn room.”

The keypad cuts off and I hear movement outside my door. I try to work the keypad but I have no idea what I’m doing. I can’t take it off the door because it’ll trigger an alarm and distract the team.

How many times is this? How many times have I been useless to my team? Who knows what’s going? If the Inhumans found out they were infected, there’s no way of knowing how they’d react. What if more than one was infected? One alone was dangerous but two.

I paced the room for how long, I don’t know. I have a million questions burning through me and absolutely no answers for any of them.

I hope the team can come up with answers and help Skye, Lincoln, Joey, and Elena. My thoughts turn to the infected and what that means.

I’ve lost all track of time so when Coulson’s voice suddenly comes up in my room, it takes me by surprise. “Ward. We need you to stay in your room for a while longer. We have Lincoln. He killed Malick.” Coulson hesitates. “They’re all in quarantine until Simmons can find a test and a cure. We don’t know how it works so it’s been decided you’ll all stay in your rooms. I’m sorry.”

I shake my head. He doesn’t need to apologize. It was Lincoln. “Sir, was anybody else hurt? I heard an explosion.”

“That was him covering up how Malick died. I’ll have some books and food delivered to you soon. We’ll talk to Lincoln and see if he’ll tell us anything. Get some sleep.”

True to his word, about half an hour later, two agents came into my room. One of them held a box full of books and some playing cards and the other held a tray of food. They set everything down on the small table and left.

I stayed in my bed. I wasn’t hungry or in the mood to read.

Later, as I was falling asleep, I was surprised to see my doors open. Skye walked into my room.

“Skye, what’s wrong? What are you doing in here? You’re supposed to be in your room?” I scanned her body, making sure she wasn’t hurt.

“Ward, come with me.” Skye gives me a small smile and offers her hand for me to take it.

I’m confused. Go with her where? “Skye, what are you talking about?”

“We don’t have much time. I just need you to take my hand and come with me.” She was begging me with her eyes.

I felt a chill run up my spine. She was infected. “Come with you where?”

She takes a deep breath and smiled again. “Home.”

“Home? Skye, we are home.” I get off the bed and step closer to her. “Are all of you under his control?”

She looks offended. “It’s not control, it’s a bond. I want you to share that bond with me, Ward. Hive—he’s what’s been missing from our lives. You and I, we’ve always been different. There was something that set us apart. We’ve been missing something. He is that something.” She searches my eyes to see if she’s convinced me.

“Skye, we found that here, with SHIELD. I found it in this team. I found it in you. Hive is not what’s missing. It’s the same as Lorelei. Remember her? I betrayed the team for her, Skye.” She’s stepping back from me. “Skye,”

“No.” She shakes her head. She’s got tears on her eyes and I can see I’ve made her mad. “That was different. That woman—she abused you. She—you’ll see. He’s different, Ward. He just wants to bond with you. We are a part of him. He won’t hurt us.”

“I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you.” I use the vibrations in the room to slam her against the wall.

But because I was so worried about truly injuring her, I didn’t use enough power to knock her out so now she’s pissed. She aims her hands back and me I try to block her power but she’s stronger. She surprises me by dropping her hands and rushing at me.

I only just catch her and she knees me in the gut and swings at my face. I only just get out of her way. This isn’t like in the gym when we’re training. This fight is very real. I don’t pull any punches. I battle with her like I do with May. It’s hard to see Skye’s face while I fight her but I know it’s needed. I can’t let her go and because of Hive’s mind control, she would probably kill me.

We’re evenly matched now. All her hours in the gym and training with May have made her one strong opponent. 

I’m able to get her on the ground. She rolls away from me and when she’s facing me, I’m surprised to find an icer in her hand. 

“You could have been a part of us.” She says before she shoots.

I feel it hit me and then I feel nothing.

When I wake up, I’m in the medical bay. Simmons is administering fluids to me. She gives me a sad smile when she sees I’m awake.

“Hey there. I was wondering when you were going to wake up. How are you feeling?” She looks upset but trying to hide it.

“What did she do? How bad is it?” I ask. I block all emotion from showing.

“She shut down our base. Lincoln is working on electrical. The hanger doors are broken so we can’t leave and there were some injuries from the quake she formed. No deaths.” Simmons turns away. “Your injuries are minor but you were iced four times and need some medications to be fully recovered. Stay in bed until these bags are drained.” She points to the medical bags handing over my bed. “I’m serious, Ward.”

“Can I speak to Coulson or May?”

“I’ll get them for you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go run some tests on Joey, Lincoln, and Yo-yo.” Simmons leaves.

I glance around and notice all the rubble on the floor for the first time. There’s glass on the floor, probably from something falling over. I look up at the ceiling and notice all the cracks.

It’s May, not Coulson that comes to see me.

“May, what’s the plan? Are we going after Skye?” I sit up.

“Not at the moment. She made sure we couldn’t follow. We have agents all over the base working on what’s broken. It’ll be a couple of hours before we can even be in the air. Right now, Coulson wants to make sure the rest of Daisy’s team isn’t infected. We’ll move them until we can find a cure.” May takes a chance to look over me as she talks.

“I’m fine. No broken bones?” I assure her. “I want in. I don’t care what it is. Once Coulson is ready to go, I want in.”

She gives me one nod. “I’ll tell the Director.”

It’s more than a couple of hours. It’s over half the day before I’m done with all the medications. Lincoln has all electricity back up and the Inhumans are off to another base. Neither Joey or Elena are infected.

I make myself useful and help where I can. Coulson and the team aren’t set to leave for another couple of hours so I have time to kill.

When it’s time to go, I grab my gear and meet everyone in the Zephyr. Coulson decides to split the team. Fitzsimmons are going with Mack to find a scientist by the name of Radcliffe. He might have the answers to a cure.

We’re going to Alicia, another Inhuman who’s been in a safe house under Coulson’s guard. She has the power to multiply herself but Andrew or Lash rather killed one of her copies. She’s been recuperating according to Coulson.

When we’re told agents are going to get Alicia, Lincoln gets upset. He feels he should be the one to get Alicia because they know each other.

Coulson thinks that Skye could have told Hive where Alicia was or they might be going there. So, Coulson doesn’t want either of us in the field.

“So, why let us come?” I ask, irritated with Coulson.

“Hive can show up and sway you both?” Coulson reasons.

“Alicia trusts me. We’ve known each other for a very long time. She would take it better from me. If you have agents surround her as they did to us on base, it will be a repeat of what happened there. I am the best choice for this.” Lincoln argues.

May, I noticed, is silent.

“If you go, you wear this.” Coulson pulls up a vest. 

He explains what it is. The vest is lined up with explosives.

I can’t help my reaction. Coulson wants Lincoln to wear this?!

“You want me to wear a suicide vest?” Lincoln can’t believe it either. 

“Suicide implies you have the control.” Coulson clarifies to my horror.

“So, it’s a murder vest?” Lincoln grabs the vest from Coulson.

“Nobody is going to make you do something you’re not willing to do. If you want in the field, this is the way you do it.” Coulson argues.

“Get me one too.” If Coulson is going through with this insane idea, I’m going to do what I can to keep everyone safe.

“You aren’t going.” Coulson looks like he’s about to lose it. “You haven’t been cleared. Your powers aren’t stable or controlled.”

“Do you see me electrocuting anyone?” I try to calm my voice and not show the anger I’m feeling. “I finally figured out how to maneuver my powers. You gave Lincoln the power to clear me.” I turn my back on Coulson and face Lincoln, “You want to clear me?”

Lincoln meets my eyes and an understanding passes through us. “You’re ready?” He asks.

I just nod.

“He’s cleared.” Lincoln walks off, still holding the vest.

“Just like that?” May calls after him.

“I’m ready.” I assure May. I can still feel Lincoln’s power in my body. I can feel all the energy from electrons in my body. I use that to bring the energy through my hands. Electricity crackles through my fingers.

Both Coulson and May watch as I manipulate the power and stare after Lincoln. He’s out of the room but his power has lingered in my body.

“How long can you hold it once one of them is out of distance?” May asks still looking at my hand.

I shrug. “I haven’t tested that part yet.” I turn to Coulson. “He needs backup. I can do that. I don’t know all that happened back at the base but I gather it didn’t go well. Lincoln has a better chance of bringing Alicia in safely. I’ll put the murder vest on too.”

That last sentence brings Coulson’s look back to my face.

I know why he’s doing it. Skye is like a daughter to him. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe and I understand that.

Lincoln and I both get ready and get in a vehicle with May and Coulson.

We make our way to Alicia’s building while Coulson and May stay behind to chat. I believe May is pissed off at Coulson but doesn’t want witnesses when she gives him a verbal lashing.

I let Lincoln lead the way and he tells me to stay behind as he approaches the elevator. It’s our luck as Alicia is coming into the parking structure.

She’s surprised to see Lincoln there. He asks her if she’s seen Skye and while they talk, I stay in my corner.

I must have not been paying attention to their conversation, because Lincoln suddenly calls my name and ducks behind a vehicle.

He calls for May as back up and I emerge from my corner. I focus on the energy around me and instantly feel Alicia in my surroundings. Now that my body isn’t fighting everyone’s external energy, it’s easier to tap into their powers.

I can feel the cells in my body duplicate and divide and draw from that. Even though I can feel the power, it still takes me by surprise when another me emerges from behind.

“Holy shit,” I say shocked and the other me smiles and goes toward one of the Alicia’s.

May gets here surprisingly fast. She must have already been on her way.

I’m surprised that Alicia can hold her own when it comes to fighting but she’s still no match for me and I have her down in minutes.

Lincoln is fighting another one and out of nowhere, another Alicia attacks me.

As I’m fighting Alicia, I see Lincoln holding another one. He’s fully powered up, threatening to kill her. Another is holding a gun toward him.

“Where is Daisy?” He yells. “I just want—I need her back! Tell me!”

Even from here, I can see the rage in Lincoln. He’s barely controlling his powers.

I can’t do much but fight the Alicia I’m with. I change tactics and draw from Lincolns powers instead. Instantly, the other me merges with me again and I fill with electricity.

I use the power to throw Alicia against a wall and a shot rings in the air. I turn to see the Alicia that Lincoln is holding, fall to the ground with a bullet wound to the head.

The Alicia holding the gun aims the gun at May when another shot rings out and she falls to the floor. I look to see Coulson in the corner.

I turn to the one I just threw against the wall. She gives me an angry look and disappears. She must have gone to the real Alicia.

Lincoln is holding the dead Alicia in his arms, saying something I can’t make out.

Coulson calls in agents and has the bodies take in as we board back on the Zephyr. Lincoln and I are quick to take off the vests.

Before we land back at base we meet with May and Coulson.

Lincoln can’t come to terms with why Alicia shot one of her duplicates. He explains that she feels their pain. 

“Hive made her do it.” Lincoln realizes it. “His sway is that strong.”

Nobody says anything for a minute.

“I’m pulling both of you from the field.” Coulson surprises me by saying.

“What?!” Both Lincoln and I move forward.

“Hive’s power goes deeper than what we knew. Alicia killed herself for this thing. It’s not safe. I can’t lose any more of you to that thing.” Coulson explains.

“The danger was always there.” Lincoln reminds him. “What’s different?”

“Knowing how far someone will go for It.” Coulson doesn’t back down. “This thing goes deeper than we knew. I’m not putting you in the field again. When we get Daisy back, I think she’ll appreciate that I kept you out of his way.”

Lincoln stalks off.

I turn back to Coulson. “I just came back on the field.”

“And now you can step back down.”

I shake my head, looking away from him. I’m not going to get anywhere by talking to him when I’m angry. “I’ll be in my room.”


	22. Chapter 22:  Desperate Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sooo sorry it took me so long to post. The Holidays were very chaotic. I hope everyone enjoyed them. 😊 Thank you all for reading, giving me kudos but most importantly, posting comments. I live for them. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

WARD POV  
I don’t keep track of the days since Coulson benched Lincoln and I. I grow more anxious every day. Mack and Fitzsimmons came back from their mission without Radcliffe.

Mack is frustrated. Skye’s been his partner and I know he misses her. Once, Mack didn’t like powered people and didn’t trust anything alien but since partnering up with Skye, he’s changed. He cares for her. He’s apologized to Coulson, Lincoln and surprisingly to me too. Skye being under Hive’s control was not Mack’s fault but he does blame himself for not being able to help. He feels as useless as we all do.

I watch Fitz with admiration. No longer is he the awkward and scared scientist. Fitz has grown the most out of our team. He has come into his own. He’s still smart as hell but he’s also confident and strong. He won’t tell us exactly what happened with Skye but I do know she threatened him. She used her powers on him to warn him and us to stay away from her. Fitz and Skye have always had a special relationship. 

He might have had a crush on her in the beginning but I know she only ever saw him as a little brother. He’s always been there for her. He’s always had her back and vice versa. He did tell me her warning though. She had one last vision before losing Charles where one of us dies. Fitz is determined to get Skye back.

Lincoln is like me. His temper has been short. He misses her. He’s lost without her.

Coulson is growing impatient. He’s at some meeting now and I keep thinking about Skye and how she asked me to go with her. I should have just gone with her. All I ever wanted was her. She’s hated me for so long. She gave me one chance and I turned her down.

As I think about the moment again, something clicks in my brain and I’m running to Coulson’s office. He’s surrounded by agents and they all look up as I barge into the room. In the screen behind them, I see the facial recognition software running, it’s probably looking for Skye.

“Agent Ward? Something wrong?” Coulson asks with a worried look on his face.

“Director, you remember what I told you about Skye before she left?” I ask him and he frowns. “About asking me to go with her?”

He nods.

“What if she asked me because she thought I was a for sure thing? What if Hive asked her to recruit for him? She knows SHIELD inside and out. She might try getting ahold of Lincoln. She’ll try him next. Think about it. She used the information she had on us to her and Hive’s advantage. He needs Inhumans by his side.”

This information is so obvious, I feel stupid knowing we hadn’t realized it sooner. The look Coulson gives me tells me I’m right. It is obvious and we all missed it.

“Get Lincoln into his containment module and make sure we lock him in.” Coulson orders an agent. He looks back and me, “we can use it to our advantage. We’ll talk to Lincoln and have him draw her in. Maybe we can set her up. If she monitors him, she can see we have him trapped and might move to help him sooner rather than later.”

“I can tell him if you’re busy,” I suggest.

Coulson gives me a funny look but nods. “I’ll go see him later.”

I nod and exit the room, looking for Lincoln.

I find him in the lab, working with Jemma and Fitz. I know immediately they’re up to no good because they’re huddled up and whispering.

“What are you all up to?”

Out of the three, Simmons is the only one to look guilty. She still has some ways to go in her facial expressions.

“Ward, is something wrong?” Simmons asks.

I look at them to see if I can read anything off their faces. Simmons clears her throat and walks toward a computer.

“I need to talk to Lincoln.”

Lincoln’s eyes zoom to mine and he nods, as I turn to lead him to his room.

We don’t speak until we’re inside and I turn to set the lock on it.

“Hey! Wait! What is going on?” Lincoln grabs me by the shoulder but I’ve already set the new lock mechanism in the software.

I make my way past him and sit on the couch. I don’t wait for him to sit to start talking. “We think Skye will try to get ahold of you. She might watch you first before she makes herself known.”

Lincoln’s mouth actually drops. “Get ahold of me? Are you crazy? She set me up. She threw me to the wolves so she could escape.”

I nod. “Hive will want as many Inhumans by his side. He’ll have her try to contact you.”

“You think she asked you to go with her because of him.” He’s angry but that’s all he says.

“There is no other reason why Skye would ask me to go with her. She’s hated me—been angry with me for a very long time.”

Lincoln eyes me and he drops hi face to the ground. “She doesn’t hate you, Ward. Though truthfully, I wish she did. She did hate you for a very long time. She felt betrayed that her mentor, her SO, her teammate, partner and friend would betray them for Hydra. She was even angrier when she found out the truth. She hates herself for believing that in you.” Lincoln finally looks at me. “If she didn’t love Coulson as much as she does, she would have left. Everyone she ever trusted lied to her. This is her home. Coulson and May might as well be her parents and she sees Fitzsimmons as her siblings. So, I get why she didn’t leave.”

I didn’t know what to say. This is probably the most Lincoln has ever said to me. He’s avoiding mentioning how I fit into the team.

“You are what I never counted on. She told me about you—not much, I’ll admit. Just that you’d betrayed them. I always thought you’d been together because I knew how hurt she was. It was hard for her to trust me. Still sometimes, she holds back. I told myself it was because of what you’d done but when the truth came out, things changed. I’m not giving up on her. I love Daisy. I haven’t told her but I will fight for her.”

If he was being honest, so could I. “I’m not going to fight you for her, Lincoln. Skye isn’t something to be owned—”

“That’s not how I meant it.” He interrupts. He’s angry at me again.

“I love Skye. She knows that. You know that.”

“Any person with eyes knows that. You don’t try to hide it even though you know she’s with me.” He accuses and I can’t argue with that.

“I won’t hide that. I hid it for too long. Lied to her for too long. But I know I’ve done too much damage. Which is why I haven’t thrown my hat in the ring so to say. I have no chance with Skye and we all know it. I want her to be happy. And I warn you Lincoln, I will hurt you if you hurt her in any way.”

“Daisy.” He emphasizes her name. He doesn’t like that I still call her Skye.

“The Director will come by later to speak to you.” I stand as there is nothing else to say.

“Are they keeping you in your room?” He follows me but already knows that answer.

“Skye won’t be coming for me.” I remind him.

“How do you know?”

“I’m too loyal to SHIELD, too loyal to Coulson. And she’s already tried persuading me to go. She knows there’s no use trying again. Skye knows me. She knows I’m not budging on this.”

Something I’ve just said has pissed him off again.

“She knows you’re more loyal to her than you are to the team. She will come to you, Lincoln.” 

“Before you go,” he moves towards me and I turn to look at him, “Fitzsimmons are going to be working on something. Something that can help Daisy. When they’re finished with it, I want you to bring it to me.”

“What is it?”

“They’re working on something for Inhumans who have been swayed by Hive.”

By the look on his face, I know it’s what they were discussing when I entered the lab which means that Coulson did not approve it. “Is it dangerous?”

He shrugs. “It’ll be experimental. We don’t know what it’ll do.”

“So, why can’t I just take it myself?”

Again, this makes him mad. “It was my idea. I’ll be taking it.”

“We’ll need you, Lincoln. You can’t bring Skye out of the shadows if you’re dead.”

“You have more skill and a better chance at defeating Hive. The team needs you more than they need me.” He argues. “Let me do it.”

I don’t want to argue so I leave. I need to check with Coulson and then talk to Fitzsimmons. I want to know myself what exactly it is they are doing.

Mack exits the room as I enter Coulson’s office. 

“May, I need you.” I hear Coulson speak into a comm.

“Hey. What’s going on?” I ask.

Coulson points to the screen. “We found Daisy.”

“Wyoming?” I ask as I read the name of the location on the screen.

“Hive purchased a town with Malick’s money. Military rolled into town. Seems like Hive was able to leave with some of Malick’s men before his compound was destroyed.”

Coulson seems to know what I’m going to say because he shakes his head. 

“A small team will go in. We’re going in to strike. It’s not an extraction. And you,” he gives me a pointed look, “are not going.”

“Lincoln is in his room.” I state. “Why aren’t we saving Skye?”

“Because she’s under Hive’s control, Ward. We can’t hold her. Even if we were to bring her here, she’d only damage the base or harm us. She knows all our security and all our systems. If we were to bring her here, she’d just escape again.” He looks like he’s tired of explaining this and at the same time, he looks angry at the fact.

I know he’s right and I hate it.

“You might want to go talk to Fitzsimmons after you meet with May. Lincoln and they have concocted an idea to cure the Inhumans of the mind control.” I tell him before heading out. 

He won’t let me join the strike force. I’m benched. Again. I might as well go talk to Fitzsimmons in the lab.

It’s not long after that Coulson joins us and I’m surprised that May and Mack have already left with a small team. We’ll have to go check on them soon. I want to know everything that is going on as soon as they land in Wyoming.

Coulson is asking Fitzsimmons about the pros and the cons about the antitoxin they’re developing. Coulson brings Lincoln up on a screen to join the conversation. It seems only Simmons is not willing to try it on Lincoln.

He and I have already agreed. So, no matter what happens here, I’ll make sure we can test it out. Fitz is on Lincoln’s side and tells Coulson this.

Simmons is not happy. I’m not saying a word which prompts Coulson to ask what I’m thinking.

I tell him I agree with Fitz and Lincoln.

“I’m sorry, Agent Campbell.” Coulson says. “Fitzsimmons, start looking at other options. My decision is final. I don’t want to hear another word about it.” He hits the screen and Lincoln is disconnected. Coulson walks about without another word.

I clench my jaw and hands. He was looking to see what I would say to go against it. I can feel rage feel my body and in the same instant, I feel the electrons fire inside me. I’m at least 100 yards from where Lincoln is but I can feel his power run through my body. Interesting.

I see Fitz looking at me and I see by the look he’s giving me that he will help me get the antitoxin once it’s finished. I give him a small nod and start out of the room.

“I’m going to go track the strike team in the conference room if anybody needs me.” I announce before exiting.

The team arrives in Wyoming but there’s no sign of Hive. May decides to go in pretending to be Hydra when she notices James, the Inhuman Lincoln and Skye went looking for.

Fitz passes by about an hour later. “It’s done. It’s on the counter of the lab. Simmons is in the kitchen. He’ll need to inject it.” He doesn’t come in the room but keeps walking down the hall.

I turn off the screen and go find the antitoxin before Simmons makes her way back to the lab. I find it on the counter and grab a syringe. 

I head down to Lincoln’s room and unlock the door.

He looks like he’s been waiting for me.

“Are you sure about this?” I ask him and he nods. I turn to activate the module from containing his powers and give him the items.

He’s quick to get the antitoxin in the syringe and places it on his arm. 

“Let it happen. You hear me? This is Daisy’s only shot so I have to go through it. Don’t call Simmons until you absolutely have to.” He was set on his decision. He sat on the edge of the bed and injected the syringe.

Nothing prepares me for what happens next. Lincoln’s torso comes forward as his arms and head is thrown back. He collapses back onto the bed.

I run to him and see that he’s passed out. His body starts to convulse. I hit the emergency alarm by his bed and try to sit him up. “Lincoln! Lincoln!”

If he dies, Skye will hate me forever.

Slowly, he opens his eyes. He looks at the alarm going overhead and looks back to me. “Don’t let them stop it. It’ll work. Let me do this.”

His voice is shaky and weak. 

Just then, Simmons runs into the room. “What’s wrong?”

She looks from him to me and for a second, I don’t know what to say.

But in the time I take to say something, Simmons has seen the syringe and bottle. “Oh my God. What did you do?” She turns over her head and I turn with her.

Fitz is standing by the door. 

“Fitz, bring the elixir to counter the antitoxin.” She demands and Fitz runs out of the room.

“No. No.” Lincoln says. “Please, Jemma. It’s going to work.”

“Lincoln, we don’t have time for this. Your body is shutting down.” She explains.

“I ca—can handle this. Please,” he begs, “just let me do this.”

Simmons looks at me and I beg her too. She shakes her head but not in refusal but in defeat. She doesn’t agree but she’s going to give in.

She calls for the med team with her comms and hooks Lincoln up to machines. She’s angry at me. She refuses to look at me.

“Simmons,” I try.

“I don’t want to hear it, Ward.” She snaps. “You brought him the antitoxin. It could kill him.”

“This was his choice to make. Not yours, not mine, not the Directors. His. He wants to help. If he hadn’t done it, I would have.”

 

She shakes her head. “You’re both idiots. You think Daisy would let either of you do this for her?” She glares at me. “Neither of you thought in making this choice. You’re both desperate and let your heart choose not your brain.”

“If it gets Skye back, it would have been worth it.” I push out of my clenched teeth.

“And what if it doesn’t? Hmm?” She demands. “What if he dies and it still doesn’t work? What then?”

To that, I have no answer.

“I’ll be back. I need some equipment to run some tests.” She leaves without another word.

I sit on the couch to watch him. It’s the least I can do after almost killing the guy. Plus, I’m pretty sure Skye will kill me if I don’t at least try to help him now.

Simmons comes down sometime later with a medical drill and announces that the tissue sample she’ll need is from Lincoln’s brain.

Lincoln and I share a look. Damn, we really made a mistake on this one.

“It’ll work.” Lincoln tells us both.

“Ward, the Director wants to speak to you.” Simmons tells me without looking at me. 

I wonder how long she’ll stay mad.

I get up and go looking for Coulson. I haven’t seen him as he’s been monitoring May and Mack’s mission.

“How is he? Is he breathing? Get here as soon as possible.” I can’t hear the other end of the conversation, as Coulson is on comms.

Coulson looks up at me as I walk in and throws the comms from his ear onto the table. “What the hell is wrong with you? What were you thinking?”

I knew he’d be mad. I was prepared for that but I didn’t think to prepare myself over the disappointed look. I’ve seen him mad before. I can handle it. I owe him everything but I know he wants Skye back too. So, I know he’ll forgive me.

“Answer me, Agent Ward.” He comes closer to me.

“I’m sorry. We had to make sure it worked. It was the only way.” He knew this. It was pointless for me to talk.

“I want Daisy back as much as both of you but we can’t keep making emotional choices like these. I made you both wear murder vest, dammit! If she knew—” Coulson takes a second to compose himself. “She’s gone for now. Maybe for good. That person out there with Hive—that’s not Daisy. She nearly killed Mack tonight. We have to make it a priority to kill him. There is no saving her without taking him out first. Do you understand?” 

I can see this is tearing him apart. I’m shocked to hear about Mack and wonder what happened. Skye loves Mack. She’d never hurt him. I saw her before she ran. I saw with my own eyes and yet refused to believe she’d really hurt anyone. 

The antitoxin better work. Hive had to die.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. Hive does have to die.” I agree and meet his eyes. “But we had to try. It’s no excuse. I hope Lincoln gets better and soon but I helped him because he would have done the same for me. Your hands are tied as Director. You have to set an example. But we—we were free to try.”

He nods. His eyes are set. “You’re right. I am the Director and I do have to set an example. Agent Ward, you are hereby stripped of your privileges for the time being. You will spend your day in your containment module until further notice.”

He’s caught me by surprise.

My eyes go wide and my nose flares. Coulson cannot be serious. He pushes a button on his desk and two agents step into the office.

“Escort Agent Ward to his room. Make sure you activate the module and turn the locks on. He’s not allowed out until my say so.” He orders while turning his back on me.

One of the Agents steps up to me and tries to grab me by the arm. I yank it away from him and stalk out of the room.

My blood is boiling. Electricity sparks out of my hands. I clench them and as soon as I enter my room, my body stills. In here, I cannot feel Lincoln.

Fitz comes to my room a couple of hours later.

“Does Simmons know?” I ask him without moving from my spot on my bed.

“That I helped you?” He asks and I nod. “Are you mad? You think I’ll admit to something like that? She should see how mad she is at you and Lincoln. The Director would probably bench me too. No. It’s better that they don’t know. At least not until we kill Hive. Coulson needs all the help he can get. Especially because—” he stops and grabs a chair near the table in the room. “It didn’t work, Ward. The Antitoxin. It didn’t work.”

I lean back on the headboard and run my hands through my hair. It didn’t work. We risked Lincoln’s life. We both got benched for nothing. The damn antitoxin didn’t work. I punch the mattress.

“May, Mack and their team is back. Mack is pretty beat up.” Fitz swallows hard. “Daisy—she did a number on him. Broken fingers, arm and fractured ribs. Simmons has him resting.” He shakes his head as I take in what he’s just told me.

“I’m going to get back up there. I’ll come as soon as I can to give you an update on everything.” He exits the room to leave me to my thoughts.

“Dammit, Skye.” I close my eyes and throw a prayer up to the God I never believed in.

The days pass slowly in my room. General Talbot is on base. I hear Elena is back for the time being and Lincoln’s immune system is still shot.

Fitz tells me he’s playing catch up with Skye. She keeps getting into our systems. He’s been told by Coulson to leave holes for her to sneak back in. She has to think we’re fighting her on this but obviously, we want her to reach out to Lincoln.

Coulson walks in with General Talbot and I stand, not knowing what to expect.

“Grant Ward. Well, this is an unexpected surprise.” General Talbot looks me up and down.

I push my sleeves up and wait for him or Coulson to tell me why he’s here.

“Agent Ward,” Coulson takes a seat on the couch, “General Talbot it touring the base. He wants to see the ins and outs of SHIELD. He’s here because he wants the Inhumans on the team to sign the Sokovia Accords.”

I look for Coulson to Talbot. “We’ve had lists in the past. They don’t work.” I cross my arms and give the General my stare. I’m trying not to sneer at him.

It’s insulting to know they want us on a list. I never understood that before But now I’m on the other end of it. These lists never end well for the people on them.

“They’re for everyone’s safety. If—”

“Spare me, General. I don’t want to hear it. I’ve been where you are. I’ve spewed the party line. I’m not interested. Lists do everything but keep people safe. Documents like that are always mishandled.”

 

“The Avengers don’t seem to agree.” The General is getting angry with me.

“What the Avengers do is not my problem. I will not be signing anything.”

General Talbot squints his eyes at me. “What are your powers, anyway?”

I look to Coulson and he nods. “I can mimic other Inhumans powers.” I watch him for a reaction.

He looks me over before asking, “So your power is that you don’t have a power. You copy other people’s power.” He thinks this is funny and shakes his head and then stops. “Do you mean to tell me you can have infinite power?”

I roll my eyes. “I can only copy one power at a time. If I switch to a different one, I lose the one I had before. I cannot duplicate everyone’s power at the same time.” I thought about what that might look like. “Although, that would be kind of cool though.”

I catch Coulson’s smile behind Talbot.

“And why, may I ask is Grant Ward doing in this room? You say Lincoln Campbell is locked up for his health. What’s your excuse for Ward?”

Although I’m angry at Coulson, I’m not going to challenge him in front of Talbot. So, I walk to stand next to Coulson to show Talbot that there’s nothing going on.

Coulson stands. “Ward came into his powers very recently and he’s still figuring out how to work them out. It’s been a challenge figuring out how to have him practice and take control of his powers without damaging the base.” He answered simply.

Talbot doesn’t seem to buy this and then he walks to the door. “Show me the ugly, Coulson. I’ve seen the good and the bad. Now, show me your ugly.”

I look to Coulson. Is he really going to show Talbot the ugly?

“Follow me.” Coulson stands and leads the way.

I take out a book to distract myself. I read but can’t focus on what I’m reading. I don’t know if I picked up a novel or autobiography. I force myself not to look up and stare at the door.

What is going on? My world is past that door. It’s so close and yet so far away. I can’t take it anymore. I get up and go to the touch screen by my door.

As I look at the programing, I notice that the locking code has been turned off. I curse and hit the open button and the doors unlock.

The guard outside of my door smiles at me. “Took you long enough.”

My first instinct is to hit him but I ball my hands into fists instead. “How long have those doors been unlocked?”

The guard shrugs. “I’m not allowed to say.” He’s still laughing at me until he sees my expression and his laugh dies at once.

“Where are they?” I ask and an alarm overhead goes off. Someone is trying to leave the base. And that’s probably Lincoln.

I run down the hall. Before I can make it to his room, I can see his guard passed out on the floor. I run past his room and head toward Coulson’s office.

Nobody is in there, so I turn back around.

“Where is everybody?” I run past men that I barely know and finally just stop one. “What the hell is going on?”

“Orders are to find Agent Campbell, Sir.” The agent answers me. Before he goes, I catch his arm. I notice that his gun’s safety is on. 

He looks at me and almost shakes his head. I let go and he runs off.

Coulson has this whole base looking for Lincoln but their guns are on safety. That doesn’t make sense. They’d be carrying icers, not actual guns and if they had anything stronger, they wouldn’t have the safety on. I’m missing something.

I find Fitzsimmons and Mack in the server room.

Fitz’s head is dropped as if in shame. “I spent so much time trying to secure the base, I didn’t even think of the Quinjet.”

I walk in as he moves over to a screen. I see it lock him out.

“What the hell is going on?” 

They all look to me.

“Great. You’re finally out.” Simmons gives me a small smile and I ignore her.

“Mack?” I need answers.

“Daisy is helping Lincoln escape. She’ll be flying him off the base. We need to get to the hangar.” He’s already making his way out of the room and we’re all on his heels.

“What the hell?” I curse. “We were supposed to be luring Skye to try to get her location or information. What is Lincoln thinking?” I demand more to myself than the others.

“Ward!” Fitz grabs my arm to stop me from running.

He and Simmons have both stopped running. “Sorry.” Simmons gives me a frightened smile and points an icer to my chest. I freeze as I feel another on my back and I know it’s Fitz holding it.

“What the hell is going on?” I raise my arms. “Don’t you shoot me with this damn thing again. I won’t move but you have to tell me what I’m missing here.”

Simmons flinches and the icer goes deeper into my chest.

“Simmons, don’t you dare shoot me. Easy on the trigger.” I warn.

“Sorry. Ok. Look, we can’t let you any further than this. I cannot believe you choose this specific moment to get out of that bloody room. May came up with a plan but we can’t say anything because Daisy might be watching.” Simmons is barely whispering and trying not to move her lips. “Just stay where you are and look unhappy.”

 

“That part won’t be hard to do at all.” I’m anxious. What is this plan May has concocted? Letting Lincoln go to Skye and Hive is not a good idea. Hive will just have another swayed Inhuman.

I don’t trust Simmons to not accidently shoot me. I close my eyes and focus to see if Lincoln is close enough to use his powers and instead of his, I feel Elena’s instead.

I use it to move out of the way and take both guns from Fitz and Simmons. “Sorry, I have to help.” I tell them as I empty the guns and run from them.

“Ward!” Fitz yells after me.

I make it to the hangar and I see Coulson helping Mack up. I call on Lincoln powers and hit the Quinjet’s door. It opens enough for me to jump in. I only just catch a glimpse of the team trying to stop me. I close the door and turn to talk to Lincoln.

I take a step back when I see Lash feet from me instead of Lincoln. The plan, Simmons was telling me about, hits me. They wanted Skye to think she was getting Lincoln when in reality, they were sending Lash to Hive.

Lash growls at me and I feel my insides change. It’s like my cells are mutating. I let it turn me. As my body take on Lash’s form, he backs away and sits.

“Daisy.” He speaks and my body relaxes. He’s going to help her and hopefully kill Hive.

Our trip isn’t long and I don’t know if it’s because we’re at maximum speed or because we’re pumped to get off this jet. My whole body feels like it’s running on energy—like I’ve had a gallon of energy drinks.

When we land, Lash stands and motions to me to stand back. He wants to take the lead. I nod and stand back. I can be his backup. He can take out Hive while I find Skye.

When the jet’s doors open, Hive is waiting for us. Hive’s smile disappears and he looks a little frightened when he sees Lash. He steps back before he stops and releases something from his hands. Lash is fast to block it with his energy field. I walk out slowly.

Lash kicks Hive and he falls back onto the lower landing. I step next to Lash and he nods at me that he can handle it. He jumps down to Hive and I follow. This power is pretty cool. I feel invincible. 

Out of nowhere, what I can only call men who have been mutated, come out of a shipping container and attack Lash. I pull one of them off him and three jump on me. 

It doesn’t take long for me to take them down, while Lash attacks Hive. Lash hits Hive’s chest with the same energy source and Hive goes down with a black wound.

In the background, I see Skye is now in the open. My breath stops, she looks so pale and fragile.

“Stay away from him!” She warns and hits Last with vibrations but he doesn’t go anywhere. She collapses on the floor because she has no energy. 

Lash moves to her and grabs her. I move quick, thinking he’s going to hurt her. 

I’m confused. I thought he was going to help her. I move towards him and his hand comes up to stop me.

He shoots his other arm down like he’s going to attack Skye but I see the distinct difference in his power. Instead of pushing the energy into her, I see it drawing something from inside her.

I see a ball of what looks like small bees or bugs inside the energy and Lash squeezes it between his hands and in a second, it’s all gone.

“Now you’re free.” He tells her and he looks to me. I nod as he moves Skye into my arms.

I hold her as softly as I can. In this body, I feel like I can crush her tiny frame. She looks at me, confused and then she sees me. “Ward?”

“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” I promise her.

I finally set her down on the seats of the jet and look back to see if Lash is behind me. He’s climbing aboard. 

“Hive?” I ask.

“Gone.” Lash answers and then a fiery chain comes straight through his chest.

My body reacts instantly. I rush to him and catch him before he hits the floor. I turn to see who’s done this to him and James, the Inhuman I’ve never met stands at the base of the jet.

Instantly, my body morphs and I know Lash is dead. I draw on Skye’s vibrations and aim them at James, the man that killed my friend. He flies in the air and before I can walk toward him, the doors to the jet close. I turn around to see Skye behind the wheel.

She’s struggling to fly.

“I’ll do that, sweetheart.” I get on the seat next to hers and program the jet to take us back home. I finally turn to her to find her crying.

She’s sitting next to Lash, holding his head on her lap. I hadn’t noticed her move. Seeing her like this is heartbreaking.

“He saved me.” She cries and I kneel next to her to hold her.

She throws herself on me and cries. I hold her for a while before I realize she’s stopped crying because she has fallen asleep.

I lay her back against the seats and get back behind the wheel.

“Ragtag base come in?”

“Agent Ward?” I hear Coulson’s voice.

“I’ve got her, Sir. We’re coming home.” I announce before turning off the radio. I don’t want to hear their questions.

I turn back to Lash and Skye and I finally give in to what’s just happened. Andrew saved Skye’s life—that wasn’t Lash. He was still in there and he’d given his life for her.

I closed my eyes to think of all the times he helped me through something when I was down in Vault D. All the times he encouraged me. He probably hated me when we first met but I never felt hate from him. He was always so understanding.

“Thank you, Andrew.” There’s so much I want to say but I feel like he knew how much I appreciated him. “Rest.” I hope I see him again someday. I’ve never been a believer in God or the afterlife. But if one existed, Andrew was a shoe in.

I sit next to Skye and she turns toward me and drapes her arm across my waist. I reach over and hold Andrew’s hand.

“We’re going home.” I say to them both and nod off.


	23. Chapter 23:  Absolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: I can’t believe I’m almost done with this story. It’s been a long one. Thank you all who have stuck around. I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

SKYE POV  
I wake startled. It takes me a second to remember where I am, who I’m with, where we’re going. I close my eyes. I wish I was still asleep.

I’m engulfed in Ward’s arms and I feel so small…so safe. Nothing can touch me here. I take his smell in and hold the vile trying to rise from my stomach.

The memories of what I’ve done with Hive rise and make me sick. I betrayed everyone. I got people killed. I myself injured fellow agents. I destroyed the base before running to Hive. Did I kill anyone?

My body starts to tremble. I hate myself.

“Hey, hey. You ok, sweetheart?” Ward stirs awake from behind me and squeezes my shoulder.

I curl into myself and try to ease myself off him. I don’t deserve his compassion. I don’t deserve his love. He’s done nothing but try to help me and I’ve fucked this up.

He eases to my side but doesn’t let me go. He’s not going to until I tell him. I look up and I’m inches from his face.

My breath catches as we look into each other’s eyes. I move my eyes to his lips and I force my hand to stay where it is. All I want to do is touch his face, run my hand on his stubble. He hasn’t shaved in what looks like days.

When I look back to his eyes, he’s looking at my lips. “I should have kissed you more.” He confesses.

My cheeks warm and I can’t help but admit, “I came close a couple of times.”

He looks surprised by my admission. “Why didn’t you?”

I give him a look. “Because you were sleeping with May.”

He winces and I smile.

Before either of us can say anything else, the jet starts to descend. “We’re here.”

I get up off the floor and try not to look at Lash’s body. I close my eyes one more time to stop the tears before they fall. He’d died and May was going to hate me.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Ward says in a tone that tells me he’s angry at the very thought.

“Yes, it is.” I don’t meet his eye. “Saying it isn’t, won’t make it true.”

“Skye,” he starts but I cut him off.

“He wouldn’t have turned his back on Hive if he hadn’t been focused on me. If either of you had just left me, you could have gone after Hive and ended him.”

“Lash ended him. We didn’t lose sight of our mission.” Ward argues and tries to come close to me.

I back away. “Lash didn’t kill Hive.”

“He told us when he came back on the jet. He said—”

“Lash said Hive was gone not dead.” I argue back. “If Hive were dead, then James wouldn’t have attacked. Why on earth would he attack 3 Inhumans if he wasn’t ordered to?” I search Ward’s eye for confirmation to something he already knows. “Hive is alive. Lash probably meant Hive had run. He’s never been on the wrong end of a fight. My guess is he ran with his tail between his legs.” Ward’s head drops and I know he’s accepted I’m right. “And now, we’ve probably lost the only person who could kill him. Just to get me out of there.”

I can’t stop my tears any longer as my body fills with shame, pity and self-loathing. I didn’t deserve to be saved.

We land and the doors open. I’m not surprised to see armed agents waiting for us in the hanger. I’ve betrayed the team. Coulson doesn’t trust me nor should he.

“Hands.” They order and I immediately put my hands together out in front of me.

“What the hell is this?” Ward tries to come between me and the agent but I don’t fight what’s going to happen to me.

“Orders from the Director. I need your hands too Agent Ward.” The other agent instructs.

Ward gives out a humorless laugh as we both get cuffed. He curses under his breath a couple of times.

They walk us onto the platform and into the base. My eyes stay glued to the ground. As we emerge through the vault door, I can feel eyes on me.

I curse at myself and focus on my feet. I can’t meet anybody’s eyes. 

The agent who is guiding me stops. I stop too.

“Welcome back, Agent Johnson,” Coulson speaks to me and I can’t help but look up at him. He looks sad and I see a sparkle in his eye.

I try not to think at all the things I’ve done against them because I just want to throw myself at the arms on the man I have loved like a father for years. I don’t do it. There’s an audience. He’s the Director of SHIELD. I also don’t deserve the hug.

With tears streaming down my face, I turn to keep walking, only to see Lincoln feet from me. “It’s good to see you.” He tries to smile but he feels pain too.

The sharp pain of what feels like little knives hit my heart. I lied to this man. He loves me, it’s obvious. I set him up. I made him look like a traitor and lied to him for Hive. I don’t deserve him either.

May steps forward. “Lash?” is all she says and I look down.

“Lash died after saving me.” I look down, my shame won’t let me look at any of them anymore.

“Did he manage to kill Hive?” General Talbot asks.

“He injured him.” Ward answers for me. “But we don’t think he’s dead. Now, will someone please take these ridiculous restraints off.”

“Get them both to the med bay,” Simmons speaks up. “I need to clear them both before they can go to their rooms.”

The agents guide us to the lab with Simmons on our trail.

I zone out as Simmons orders tests to be done.

Mack, Yo-yo, Coulson, and Talbot follow us but hang back as I’m hooked up to IV’s. They talk low, not that I would want to know what they’re saying. I know it’s about me.

I wonder what they’ll do to me. I’d lock me up. I don’t deserve to be an agent. Not anymore. Not after the betrayal.

I can feel Mack’s eyes on me and I feel sick to my stomach again. My stomach is turning. The last time I saw him, I was crushing his ribs in.

I had been all too happy to crush him for Hive. I can still see Mack’s face as I used my powers on him. He’d been so trusting of me. He didn’t think I’d hurt him. He thought I’d been looking to get caught.

I’d shown him how wrong he was.

I feel the vomit come up and only just miss vomiting on myself. It’s hard to breathe and I make my body stop convulsing. I didn’t deserve anyone’s pity or worry.

Instantly, people had moved around me to help.

“Skye!” I could hear Ward’s worried voice calling for me before I pass out.

When I come to, I’m in a containment module and room. I’ve got IV’s still hooked on me and an agent sitting by my bed. I don’t recall meeting him before.

“Agent Johnson, you’re awake.” He states the obvious. “I’m here to debrief you. We need to know everything you know about Hive and what his plans are.”

It makes sense that Coulson wouldn’t send someone I knew to do this. I’ve hurt a lot of people and not knowing someone I’ve hurt is probably safest.

I go over what Hive and Dr. Radcliffe are doing and the blood I gave them.

The agent looks at me like I have two heads. I continue and give him all the information I have. It’s not a lot. Hive wasn’t too forthcoming but then, I never asked any questions.

I describe what Radcliffe created with my blood and I don’t look at the reaction to this. “He called them our children.” I add without having to. That’s how disgusting it was. I was a part in making them and I’d been happy about it.

I wipe the stupid tears streaming down my face again. I’m disgusting. I need to get out of here. No, I deserve it. I need to be locked up.

Later, they start sending Jemma down to get intel from me. She asks me questions that I’ve already answered and told her there’s nothing I haven’t told them. 

I understand why they send her. She looks at me with pity.

Coulson comes down and he promises me that this—me being in this room is only temporary but I tell him it should be permanent.

“You’re not a criminal.” He tells me.

“That’s exactly what I am.” How can he not see it? “So, you can keep your forgiveness and your pity because I shouldn’t have either—or your friendship.”

Coulson shakes his head at me. “Daisy, you were brainwashed.”

“So, was Ward and we hated him for it. The only difference was that he was strong enough to overcome it. I chose to stay with Hive.” The bile rides up from my stomach again, thinking of the damage I did by his side.

I had turned my back on everything—everyone I cared about.

“You didn’t choose!” Coulson loses it with me. “He was in your brain, Daisy. You’re cured of that now. If you could choose to go with him now, would you?”

My head snaps to Coulson’s. Yes. But I could never say that out loud because I hate even thinking it. If I was back with Hive, I wouldn’t feel any of this. I wouldn’t care about the reality of what I’d done. My body craves him…even my mind. I hate him but I want to not care. I don’t want to think. I need him.

“You wouldn’t.” Coulson answers for me. “We are your family. You would never hurt us if it were up to you. I trust you with my life.” He’s open now and I can see how honest he’s being with me and it only tares me up inside even more.

“Maybe you shouldn’t.” I turn my back on him and hear the door close after a minute.

I’ve been in this room for a couple of days and I tell myself to get used to it. I’m going to be locked up for a long time. Even if Coulson lets me out, I’ll make sure they put me away. I should pay for my crimes.

I hear the team went on a mission having to do with Hive but I don’t react. I stare at the wall and zone out. People had to learn to cut me out.

“Hey.” I look up to see Ward.

I stay on the bed and don’t look toward him. I don’t want to look at him. I don’t want to look at anyone.

I hear the clear sound of the smaller module opening to my room and I look up in time to see Ward step out of it and into my room.

“What are you doing?” I demand. “You shouldn’t be in here.”

He looks at me and gives me a small smile but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He nods slowly and says, “I’m just dropping off some reading material. I’ve had it for a while and never got around to giving it to you.” He sets the box on the table and steps back.

He gives me one last look and he leaves.

I eye the box but don’t move to get it. Although, I do wonder what it can be.

Curiosity gets the best of me and I grab the box and drag in onto the bed with me. I open the box wondering what it might be.

On top of a mass stack are papers and a small notebook, lies a folded piece of paper. It’s folded like a letter and it has “Skye” written in Ward’s handwriting.

I put the letter aside and frown as I grab a handful of loose papers. It’s handwritten notes but I don’t pay too close attention to any words. I put the stack back and open Ward’s letter. 

“My Dearest Skye,” I read to myself. “I’m told giving you this file is not a good idea. There are things in here that you may not like and that’s ok. I don’t know if this will help or destroy me but this isn’t about me. This is about you. You deserve to know me like I know you. Not everything about me was a lie. I’ve lied to you a lot but that back then—that connection you said we had—that was real. There is nobody else I would trust with this information.”

The hair in my arms stands straight as the idea of what this is hits me. I grab the stack of papers and look at the writing. It’s Andrew’s writing.

“No.” I say out loud. “He wouldn’t give this to me?”

I go back to the letter. “I killed Victoria Hand,” my breath catches and I feel a pain in my heart. This should not be hard to read. I know all this. Why am I reacting like it’s the first I hear of this? I shake my head and continue reading, “and a lot of innocent people while following John. I went back to Providence because I had orders to bring you back. Those last moments with John before I came back is what cemented the end of my loyalty to him. I was going to do all I could to keep you safe and then we had Orientation. I knew I’d fail, so I as my last resort, I went to Coulson.”

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. That was the start of the end for me. The beginning of my fear, my hate and my anger toward Grant Ward. I’d felt lost because SHIELD had fallen but ashamed because I was happy. Happy that I’d kissed Grant Ward. Happy because I thought things were looking up and I might have a future with the man I’d been crushing on for months. And then he’d “killed” Koenig and kidnapped me.

Tears sting my eyes as I am determined to finish this damned letter. 

“I sat in that damn chair anyway. Coulson wanted to know what I was telling him was the truth. He hated me at first too. You have every right to feel the way you’re feeling and I completely understand why you can’t trust me. So, here I am. The good. The bad. The ugly. This is me—raw.” I eye the stack of papers again. A cold wave washes over me. I shake my head. Nobody should have access to those but Andrew. At that moment, I remember Andrew’s dead.

“Andrew had to peel me layer by layer. He helped me but not before uncovering some nastiness. I don’t know what’s in here. Nobody but Andrew knows and now you.” Why would he do this? This is too much to share. It makes him too vulnerable. How does he know I won’t use this against him?

“Stepping foot on that bus was the best thing that ever happened to me.” I choke out a sob. “I respect and admire Coulson and May. Fitzsimmons are the second chance to be an older brother. I never would have come to care about them the way I do without you. You were what I never factored in when joining Team Bus. You are what shattered my shell day after day, week after week. I am the man that stands here today because of you. You made it possible for me to change. You saved my life by simply being you.” My heart aches. I hated him for so long. I’ve been so angry, so hurt. And here he is, shedding everything and letting me see. “Whatever happens after this, I want you to know that I see YOU. I don’t call you Daisy because you are Skye. You will always be Skye. I understand why you chose to go by that name. In some way that’s who you were supposed to be. It’s who you would have been if not for Hydra. It’s keeping the memory of the good in your parents alive. It’s honoring Cal. BUT Skye is open. Skye is humble. She is smart, funny, caring, energetic and a little bit of a clown. You’ve changed out of necessity but you will always be that bright-eyed girl who I threw a bag over, who was living in her van. You’ve come into your own and are one badass woman now. Don’t let all this change you too much because the Skye I know and love will save the world. Yours, Grant Douglas Ward.” 

I wipe my eyes and debate whether I want to pick up and read Andrew’s first notes. 

I read for what seems like hours. I put the notes away. I’m not done but I can’t read anymore. I thought I knew what Ward had gone through as a child. Turns out what he told me was only a slice of what he’d gone through. His brother Christian was a real piece of work. I’m glad he’s dead now. If he wasn’t, I’d want him rotting in the ground.

And that hate that runs through my blood is what made me stop reading. Because the Ward’s had broken Grant to the point of breaking. They’d not only physically beaten him but he was also emotionally and mentally broken. He had no chance of surviving John Garrett without being brainwashed. 

If someone like Coulson had gotten to him first, he’d be an entirely different person. And that idea is too hard to swallow. I’d stopped when Andrew gets to the part when Ward tries to kill himself. 

It’s too hard to think about. Too hard to accept that Ward had been in such a dark place that he’d thought to take his own life. The Grant Ward that had turned his back on everything he’d believed in when he found his family. He’d put his life on the line more times than I could count.

As I’m mulling this over, I see Mack come into the smaller module.

Mack. I can’t show him how happy I am to see him. Because I am but I know what I’ve done to him, so I can’t face him.

I feel like scum again. Now in this moment, Ward’s notes are forgotten and I’m shaking with remorse. I see Mack under me as I use my powers to crack his ribs.

My eyes shut as I try to shake away the memory.

Instead of stopping in the small module, he steps through and into my room, just like Ward.

I stay seated at the edge of my bed and listen as he tells me that the group captured Hive. It should relieve me but it doesn’t. Nothing can stop Hive.

I fight myself as my mind takes me back to that moment again and I feel sick. I warn Mack to stay out of my room for his safety. I remind him there are protocols.

I keep my voice flat. I don’t want him in this room.

“You think I care about safety protocols?” He asks as takes another step towards me.

My eyes snap up at him and I remind him what happened to him the last time he wasn’t safe with me.

He tries to hug me and I fight him. There’s no use. Mack is a giant. “I forgive you. I forgive you.” He keeps repeating.

I break. “I don’t—I don’t deserve it.” And he’s pulled me into his arms and I’m crying.

I’m crying because I’m weak. He shouldn’t be in here. I almost killed him the last time we met. I deserve to be locked up. I betrayed all of them. I injured agents. I helped create those creatures. I almost killed Mack.

I hate myself. How can I call people like the Ward’s ugly and yet I am just like them? I deserve to be in the ground.

WARD’s POV  
When the alarms ring overhead, I’m trying to read in my room. It’s been hard trying to keep myself distracted when I know Skye has my psych files and could be reading them.

I’m instantly on my feet when the alarms go off and exit my room to find Coulson. My mind is racing at what could have gone wrong. 

The team caught Hive. Skye is back. What threat was left out there?

Yo-yo, Lincoln, and May are already in Coulson’s office when I arrive. “What’s wrong? Why are the alarms going off?” I ask.

I turn to the screen they’re all watching and see that the cameras are turned to the hangar. Fitz stands beside a couple of agents. The screen on the right is from another camera. 

One of Hive’s primitives stands facing Fitz.

“How did one of them get on the base?” I turn to Coulson.

“A bomb went off.” Coulson turns to me to answer. “It let out smoke. He’s one of our agents.”

I turn back to the screen, my eyes wide. “We need to get down there.”

Just then, Simmons runs into the office. “What is it? What’s happening?”

May and I share a look before Coulson answers. “Jemma, there was an explosion in the hangar.”

“Fitz.” She guesses as she turns to the screen. “Ok, what do we do?” She asks patiently.

“They’re trapped inside.” May explains as we watch Fitz bang on the doors.

“Can we override the doors?” Lincoln asks.

“We put everything on lockdown.” Coulson explains. “By the time we override, Fitz will be…” he hesitates. After a look from Jemma, Coulson slams his cane on the desk and picks up a tablet. “Fitz, do you read?”

“Yea!” Fitz backs away from the doors and looks up at the cameras. “Sir, we’re in a bit of trouble!”

“We know. We’re going to get you out of there.” Coulson assures him. 

We all move in around the screens, behind Coulson.

We watch as more agents are turned into primitives. Fitz has 2 agents left by his side. They stand in front of him and shoot the primitives with Icers. It slows them down but doesn’t stop them.

“Hey!” Fitz calls up to the camera again. “How are you doing in there?”

Simmons explains about the lockdown before Fitz interrupts about motion sensors and how we need to bring them back online.

Coulson understands and asks if it will work if the base is on lockdown.

I can’t keep from watching Fitz. Those doors are locked. There’s nothing I can do to get to him. I have no damn power to save him from this.

Lincoln suggest frying sensors but Simmons tells him it won’t work.

I’m losing my mind as May tells us we have no time and have to figure it out fast.

Simmons asks Fitz something that I don’t catch and Fitz agrees to try it. I watch as Simmons picks up the table and inputs something, all the while she says she doesn’t know what she’s doing.

Before any of us can encourage her, Fitz is already doing it, telling her that she’s seen him do it.

I don’t know what she does but it works just in time for a door to open. Fitz and one more agent get inside and are safe.

I let out a deep breath. “It worked.” I say relieved. 

The second that Fitz is safe, the primitives all turn back and head to a crate.

We all watch in silence as they free Hive.

Before Coulson can start giving us orders, Mack comes into the room.

“Where’s Daisy?” Lincoln asks him. 

“In her room.” Mack answers.

“Where the three of you should be.” Coulson eyes Lincoln, Yo-yo and I.

“Not a chance.” Lincoln and I both speak at the same time.

“You can put the vests on us but we fight.” Yo-yo chimes in.

“We don’t have time for this.” Mack interrupts very annoyed. “Daisy said Hive knows everything the Zephyr ‘s capable of. If he gets his hands on it—”

“That’s his new missile.” May tells us. 

“And we brought him right to it.” Coulson looks at the screen to follow Hive.

“He looks shaken. Maybe he won’t remember how to fly it.” Mack hopes out loud.

“That’s a thin hope to hang onto.” May says as she watches the screen.

“We can’t let Hive take control of that ship.” Coulson warns.

“We need to get someone in there.” May steps towards Coulson.

“I can’t ask anyone to do that.” Coulson shakes his head.

“I can go in.” Yo-yo steps up. “The gas won’t change me.”

“No, but it can sway you.” Coulson reminds her. “I won’t let what happened to Daisy happen to anyone else. Let’s close down sections of the base and regroup. We need to see what areas are weak. Those creatures know this base only too well.”

We all nod and go in different directions. I grab a tablet off a table and pull up the hangar cameras. I want to make sure Hive stays in place.

Half an hour later, when I’m with Lincoln, Mack, Yo-yo, and Coulson, the ground shakes below our feet. I look at the screen in time to see Hive flying across a room and hit the hangar wall.

My body freezes. I hand Coulson the table. “Skye’s with Hive in the hangar.”

What the hell is she doing there?


	24. Chapter 24: Goodbyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you all so much for reading and for the comments. I can’t believe we’re near the end. This story has taken a lot out of me and it’s taken longer than I first thought it would.

WARD POV  
Coulson grabs the tablet from me. “What do you mean she’s with Hive?”

“Daisy’s in trouble.” Simmons runs out of the lab.

Fitz is right behind her. “Sir, there’s been a malfunction in Daisy’s containment module.”

“Did you check the feed from the plane?” Mack asks Fitz.

“Yea, it’s gone dark after the earthquake.” Fitz answers, showing something to Coulson on his tablet.

“So,” Coulson starts, “either the Primitives found their way down to her or—”

“She found her way up.” May finishes.

My eyes meet Lincoln’s. Would Skye go to Hive willingly? Lincoln shakes his head. I don’t know what he’s trying to tell me.

I close my eyes and concentrate. I feel Lincoln’s powers and Yo-yo’s instantly but I want to see if I can feel Skye’s.

After a couple of seconds, I can feel the vibrations in the room. I can feel her vibrations. Her’s are different than anyone else on base. The vibrations are faint which I take it as her being farther away not that she’s weak.

“Check it out and report back.” Coulson instructs May.

“Fitz.” May calls for him to follow and they both leave.

Coulson strides into the lab where Radcliffe is watching us but pretending he’s not listening.

“What are your Primitives capable of?” Coulson asks.

“Well, it’s hard to say, really. I mean, these creatures are in their infancy.” He answers.

“But you created them, didn’t you?” Mack glared at Radcliffe.

“It was either that or be eaten.” Radcliffe defends himself. “I never would’ve created something so unsophisticated. I mean the crudeness of these creatures is really quite…heartbreaking.”

“We’ll discuss the consequences of your science fair later. Right now, we need to know exactly what we’re up against.” Coulson prompts Radcliffe.

“The Primitives possess adrenaline-induced peak-human strength but rather poor eyesight. They’re connected to Hive in the same way that Daisy was, but they don’t exhibit any original thoughts of their own.” Radcliffe explains.

“Do they have memories?” Simmons asks.

“They possess memories of previous talents—weapon skills and the like.” Radcliffe answers.

My back straightens and stiffens. 

“We have 28 ex-SHIELD agents that know this base inside out. How long before they find their way through the hangar doors?” Mack asks the obvious.

Radcliffe shakes his head as he answers, “Several hours at least.”

Just then, I hear metal thudding. It sounds like it’s coming from below us.

“They may not have to.” Lincoln moves around, trying to follow the noises.

Mack crouches and puts his hand on the floor. “They’re in the vents.” He announces.

“Lock down the armory.” Coulson orders Mack who is immediately on his feet and moving. “Simmons, secure what you can in the lab and then rendezvous in my office. Lincoln, Ward and I will protect the nerve center.”

Lincoln and I follow Coulson closely.

I need to get to Skye. Who knows how long she can handle Hive on her own? Lincoln and I share a look again. One of us will have to go up to help her.

We hear footsteps behind us and we slow to see Radcliffe running up. “When in doubt, follow the leader.” He states.

I roll my eyes and I’m surprised when Coulson tells him to keep up.

When we get to the server room, there are already Primitives there, destroying the place.

I step forward but Coulson grabs my shoulder. “There’s more of them than us. Run.”

I clench my jaw as I follow his orders and we’re all running with those creatures on our heels.

We run into Mack who is holding Yo-yo. She’s bleeding.

“There.” Coulson points. “Go in there.”

We rush to the room and close the door behind us and lock it.

“Primitives got to the armory first. Yo-yo took a bullet in the gut for me.” Mack reports.

“Sir, where is everyone else?” Lincoln asks.

“Let’s hope they got to safety.” Is all Coulson can say.

I run my hands through my hair. I’m stuck. Again. I’m not able to help and Skye is on her own with Hive.

I hear clattering and turn as Lincoln is clearing a table.

Mack is setting Yo-yo down.

“It’s really bad.” Mack sounds pained. “She’s bleeding out.”

Lincoln raises Yo-yo’s shirt to get a better look at her wounds. I step forward as Mack looks for light.

“I got it.” Coulson comes forward with a flashlight.

I watch the blood pull beneath her.

“She’s bleeding way too fast.” Radcliffe speaks my thoughts.

“Her metabolism must’ve increased to compensate for her Inhuman speed.” Lincoln tells us as he checks her pulse.

“Can you fix it?” Mack asks desperately. 

“If we get her an injection of Acebutolol from the lab.” Lincoln tries to think out loud.

“We can’t get to the lab cause this idiot turned good agents into kill zombies, so we have to come up with something else.” Mack leans over the table toward Lincoln.

It dawns on me. “I can get to it.”

Everyone in the room looks at me.

“Ward.” Coulson warns.

“No, listen. I can get to it. I can use Yo-yo’s speed. I know she’s weak but I can still use her power.” I explain. Even now I can feel my cells splitting and draw on that.

“Stand down, Agent Ward.” Coulson orders. “We don’t know how far you can go without losing her powers. We don’t know what will happen to your body if it disconnects from those powers. And we don’t know how many of those things are out there. So, no. We are not opening those doors.”

I blink. I’d never thought of what would happen once I got too far from Yo-yo. Would I snap back here?

“I need tools, medicine.” Lincoln shakes his head and I can see he’s frustrated.

“We have to save her. We’re trapped in this room, so we need to stop the bleeding with something in here.” Coulson instructs and we all start looking around.

“I have an idea. It might not be a good idea but it might be our best.” Radcliffe turns with a blowtorch in hand.

“It could kill her.” Mack says.

“We can do better.” Coulson keeps looking.

“Not in the time we have.” Dr. Radcliffe shakes his head and looks to Lincoln to agree with him.

Lincoln steps forward and grabs the blowtorch from his hands. He instructs Mack to hold the towel he’s been holding over the wound.

It surprises us all when Yo-yo asks for Mack to do it. The look of trust that passes between them feels intrusive to witness. So, Mack is the one to cauterize the wound. She screams of course.

Lincoln stabilizes her with Mack’s help.

With nothing to do, I lean against the wall and close my eyes. I need to feel Skye’s vibrations to calm myself. I search and push aside Lincoln and Yo-yo’s powers. I seek the vibrations and it alarms me when I find none.

I shake my head. Maybe she’s moved Hive from the Hangar. I focus with every part of my being and urge my powers to stretch. I ignored my labored breathing. This is like doing an exercise for the first time. My body is not used to stretching like this so it’s fighting against the strain and I’m getting tired.

Nothing. I don’t feel Skye anywhere in the building.

“Sir,” I fight my voice from shaking.

Coulson turns to me.

“I don’t feel Skye.” I clench my hands, trying to get myself under control.

Coulson gives me a blank stare. “What does that mean? What do you mean you can’t feel Skye?”

I take a deep breath. “I can feel powers from a pretty good distance, especially if I’m already familiar with it. I was able to feel her earlier when she was with Hive in the hangar. I don’t feel her now.” I explain.

I notice Lincoln stop whatever it is he’s doing to look at me. I try to ignore his stillness. I don’t understand his reaction but I don’t really care.

“What does that mean?” Coulson asks again but in a different context.

I shake my head. “I don’t know. I don’t know if she’s left the base or—" I stop myself from saying it. I’d lost Lash’s powers the second he’d died. My stomach turns. 

The thought of her being dead makes my whole body convulse. I try to breathe and focus on my body. I cannot lose it now. We need to get out of this room.

Thankfully, Radcliffe isn’t paying attention and Mack and Lincoln are focused on Yo-yo.

Coulson steps up to me with a determined look on his face. “We’ll get her back. We’ve done it before. She’s fine.” His voice in confident but he’s whispering to me.

He searches my eyes. I know he needs me to step up and I nod. I have to keep positive. Where is the Grant Ward that closed himself off on missions? Where was the Grant Ward that got the mission done no matter what? 

I shake my head.

I can’t help but see that Mack and Yo-yo have a moment. It’s nice to see Mack care about someone like this. He needs someone. 

It starts getting really hot in the room but I try to keep my mind occupied when Lincoln tells us that Yo-yo is burning up and it might be a sign of infection.

Mack doesn’t seem to think so. He says we’re all burning up which is true. 

Coulson wonders like I do why the heat is up when the electricity is out and Mack explains that the heat doesn’t work on electricity.

“Why would they turn the heat up then?” I ask. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Radcliffe is mumbling something and I ask him to repeat himself.

“Simmons.” He tells us. “She’s blinding them. Genius, you say? She must’ve figured it out. Their eyes were damaged, clouded over. I suspected they could see somehow, but it must be—”

“Infrared.” Coulson guesses.

Radcliffe laughs. “Clever girl. Crank the heating up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and we’re free to move around as we please.” He moves toward the door.

“You want us to go out there on a hunch and hope those things don’t rip us apart?” Mack asks.

“It’s not a hunch.” Radcliffe answers. “It’s science.”

Radcliffe turns off his flashlight and opens the door.

I see a Primitive just beyond him in the hall. It turns but runs down the hall, not even looking at Radcliffe.

Radcliffe turns to us with a smile and runs out of the room.

“Well, we have to follow him. He has no idea where he’s going.” Coulson tells us.

We head to Coulson’s office because he sealed off the stairs. 

As we enter, something comes flying past our faces. We get out of the way just in time.

“Oh. Thank God.” Simmons comes out from behind the table.

I sigh in relief. She’s safe. 

“Thank God you missed.” Coulson looks like he wants to laugh. 

Mack and Lincoln move Yo-yo to a chair.

I move past them and hug Simmons.

She smiles, “I’m ok.” She assures me.

“You saved our lives.” I smile down at her.

She blushes and shrugs. “Oh. It was nothing.”

I chuckle.

“Have you seen the others?” Mack asks Simmons.

“I checked the containment module. By the looks of it, Fitz and May climbed up into the Zephyr.” She catches us up. “Daisy’s in there with them.”

I breathe another sigh of relief.

“Then there’s hope they’ll stop them.” Mack looks angry but hopeful.

“Or be blown to bits,” Simmons says worried. She shakes her head and switches the subject. “Did you notice the heat? I increased the temperature because—”

We all speak at the same time telling her we figured it out.

“I did.” Dr. Radcliffe wants the credit. “Picked up on it straight away. We make a pretty good team here at the Strategic Homeland—” he looks around, “what comes after Homeland?”

“Just say SHIELD.” Yo-yo winces in pain.

Simmons asks Yo-yo if she’s ok and what happened to which Yo-yo replies that she was trying to stop bullets and was too slow.

I smile at her answer.

“Look, she’s ok now but she needs a hospital.” Lincoln tells the room.

“There’s no way out.” Simmons shakes her head. “it took me a while to open the lock-down window, but it’s a 40-foot drop.”

“What about the underground tunnels?” Lincoln challenges.

“Sealed.” I answer. He should know that.

“I have a way.” Coulson says as he raises his sleeve and touches his robotic arm. I can’t see what he’s doing from where I stand.

Simmons leans over and grins. “Remote Quinjet.”

“Hell yea.” Breathes Mack.

I take a deep breath myself. We can get out and go find Skye, May and Fitz.

“It’s on its way but let’s be clear,” Coulson pulls down his sleeve, “I’ll get you to medical. Once we get to safety, we’ll contact Talbot, have him authorize military force to take back our base, but then I take the Quinjet to intercept the Zephyr on my own.”

The nerve in my neck jumps as I clamp down my hands.

“Sir, I have to get to Fitz.” Simmons moves forward.

“You’re not doing by yourself.” Lincoln speaks at the same time.

“You can’t expect us to just—” Mack starts.

“It’s not up for discussion. You’re agents, I’m the Director. It’s on me to stop it.”

“With all due respect, Director,” I glare at Coulson, “but I’m the one who gave Hive a body to jump into. Shouldn’t it be on me to stop him?”

Coulson doesn’t back down. “No. I got your report. There was no way you could have known what would happen. There was no other option but to take those men down. They were a threat to the mission and they were a threat to Fitz. You did your job.”

“So, let me do my job now.” I step forward.

“I’m doing this on my own, Ward.” Coulson loads a gun as he speaks.

“If May were here—” I hear Mack behind me.

“She’d give me a very dirty look, yea. I’ll get them out, get them home, but I’m not gonna lose anyone else.” Coulson is determined.

Too bad, so am I.

It’s quiet as I think of other ways to persuade Coulson to let me go with him. A few minutes later, a Quinjet arrives by the window.

“I have to say, I really enjoy the way you do things.” Radcliffe admires the plane and I roll my eyes.

Mack breaks the window and we all slowly make our way into the jet. The biggest struggle is getting Yo-yo into it from a window.

Coulson does what he said he’d do. He calls Talbot and asks for a hospital room to be ready for Yo-yo. Talbot sounds annoyed to be ordered around but agrees.

As we fly to the hospital, I know I’m not getting off and should probably talk to Coulson about it one more time. It’s useless to argue though. He’ll argue. He can fire me after but I’m going on this mission whether he likes it or not.

There are some of Talbot’s men waiting for us when we arrive. They have a gurney and doctor with them.

As Mack is putting Yo-yo on it, I hear Coulson tell Talbot’s men to take Radcliffe into custody and tells them to keep an eye on him. He tells them the charges that should be brought up against the doctor, all the while Radcliffe is arguing that he had no choice.

I’m not too surprised when Yo-yo is taken and Mack doesn’t follow.

“Follow Talbot’s men. I’ll be back. If I don’t make it, Ward is your new Director.” My eyes widen at Coulson’s order.

For a second, I don’t know what to say. “Pick someone else, I’m going with you.”

Coulson looks mad. “I’ve given you your orders. You are to stay behind.”

“We’re going too.” Lincoln gestures to himself, Mack and Simmons.

“We have to be smart about this,” Coulson starts, “I can’t lose SHIELD in one fell swoop. SHIELD is nowhere near back to where we were before Hydra. We’ve lost a lot. I cannot lose this team too. Now, get off this jet.”

“Sir, you can discharge us after but we’re going.” I try to tell him with a look that he’s fighting a losing battle here. “We’ve got hours before we reach the Zephyr. Instead of arguing and losing time, we should get going and discuss a plan of attack.”

I walk past him and take a seat with the others following my footsteps.

It doesn’t take long for Coulson to get over his anger. Sure, it might come back once all this is over but for now, we’re ok.

We think up different ways to get to our team and Hive. We all take turns shooting ideas down with how things could go wrong. 

But we strategize and try to think of what Hive would anticipate.

We decide to get off the Quinjet before it’s actually docked. We have to get in through a maintenance hatch and have Coulson distract Hive with a hologram. Then, we have to get onto the cargo bay, find the rest of the team and separate Hive from the warhead. 

We go over the plan a dozen times. Lincoln and I will separate from Mack, Simmons and Coulson. We have to take down as many Primitives as possible, along with James.

Times passes slowly. My skin is itching to get Skye back. I hoping she’s ok. Finally, the Zephyr is on our radar and we all get ready.

We’re by our exit when the Quinjet starts to connect to the Zephyr. We are successful on getting to the fuselage and down the maintenance hatch. It takes it longer than we thought but we’re in.

We stay quiet as we let Coulson finish talking to Hive. I use this time to close my eyes and feel for Skye. I sigh in relief as soon as I feel her. 

Coulson disconnects from the camera and tells us it’s go time.

Lincoln and I go right and the rest go left. 

Instantly we are surrounded by Primitives that were once agents. There’s four of them but nothing I can’t handle. Some of them are skilled and some are still rookies.

I draw on Lincoln’s power and use it on one of the agents and he goes down easily. I’m confident I can do this, so I tell Lincoln to continue.

One of the bigger primitives proves to be a challenge but, in the end, I’m able to take him down. I take a deep breath. It feels good to be back in action. I’ve missed this.

I turn the corner to find James on the floor. May is standing over him and just past them, is Lincoln. He’s standing in the doorway looking at Skye. Fitz stands next to her.

I smile. We got her.

“Lincoln!” Skye warns and points.

James must have touched something on Lincoln because it’s getting bright red and hot. It looks like it’s going to explode. I draw on James’ energy, trying to connect to his power. I can feel the particles in my body heat up but stabilize. I turn to stop that energy from firing on Lincoln but I’m too late.

Lincoln backs up as the object explodes on his side. It’s small, only affecting him but it’s effective. He’s down and bleeding.

Dammit. I curse at myself for not being faster.

I look to Skye and she’s shocked and pained. We drag Lincoln to a safe place and prop him against a wall. He’s trying not to cry out in pain but it’s a losing battle.

Skye is on our toes, trying to get to him. “Lincoln.” I can hear the fear and hurt in her voice. She looks like she’s holding back tears and I cringe. 

I don’t mind her loving him. I don’t hate him for loving her but I do hate seeing her like this because she’s in obvious pain for him.

I turn away. Being ok with her loving him is entirely different than wanting to witness that love. My chest tightens and I steel myself.

Stay on mission.

“Tell me he’s going to be ok.” She begs Simmons.

I turn back to watch Simmons inspect him. “He’ll live—” she says, “if there’s no internal hemorrhage.”

Fitz is helping Simmons with gauze and medicine. I stand back until I’m needed.

“You’re ok. You’re ok.” Simmons tells Lincoln. “Hey, look at me. You should be fine. But you need to remain as still as possible until we can get to ground and properly dress it. Ok?”

“I’m sorry, Lincoln. I’m sorry.” Skye gets close to Lincoln and again, I can’t watch.

“I never meant to turn against you.” I can still hear her talking, so I step away further. I don’t want to hear this. 

I hear mumbling but can’t make out the words. I do hear shuffling and see that Fitzsimmons have also walked away.

Unlike me, they wanted to give them privacy. They weren’t burning with jealousy. 

Coulson joins us and we step closer to him, giving Lincoln and Skye more room.

We all hear the steps above us and Coulson warns us that the primitives will be joining us soon.

“And then?” Simmons asks. 

“Even if we could steal the warhead, it’s probably on a timer by now, times with their ascent.” Fitz rubs the back of his neck.

“I don’t suppose you came with any concrete ideas.” May hopes.

“I have one.” Coulson nods. “I’ve set new coordinates for the Quinjet. It will disconnect from the Zephyr and then fly straight up until it leaves the atmosphere. We have to load the warhead onto the Quinjet. The warhead will blow in the vacuum of space and the pathogen will disperse harmlessly.”

“And who’s going to load it on the Quinjet?” May asks. There’s an edge to her voice. She doesn’t like this plan but she knows it’s the only solution.

I expect the look before it meets me. I look back at Coulson and nod my agreement.

“I am.” I answer.

“What? Why you?” Simmons asks.

I give her a small smile. “I have a bit of knowledge in this sort of thing. I can use both Skye’s power and Lincoln’s to load it faster and If I can’t stop the countdown, I can make sure Hive doesn’t stop it getting on board.” I explain.

Mack swings his gun over his shoulder. “I built this thing for a reason. It’s time I use it.” The gun has a blade at the end. Shotgun ax.

“The rest of us will deal with the primitives.” Coulson tells the group.

Only Simmons isn’t paying attention. She runs toward Lincoln and Skye and my heart drops. I close my eyes and feel for Skye. She’s ok. She’s ok.

“Lincoln! Where’s Daisy?!” Simmons demands.

I urge forward, standing in front of the group.

He looks at me. “I couldn’t stop her.”

Dammit. She’s gone to the warhead.

“Ward.” Lincoln calls me.

I get close enough to hear him, “What is it?” What else has Skye done?

“Her vision. Someone will be on the Quinjet when it blows.” He warns me.

But I’m pulled away in that second. I turn to find primitives surrounding the team. There must be at least eight.

I fight the one who’s thrown me to the ground and fight to get up only to have two more come to kick me while I’m done.

I bite down and force the pain to the back of my mind. Calling on Lincoln’s power, I throw them off me. Having powers is just so much easier and faster than fighting them.

I can’t risk hitting the team with these powers. They’re all working as a team to take the primitives down.

“He’s here.” Coulson calls and we all know he means Hive.

Perfect. I can take him. Before I turn, I’m hit from behind with something hard. I wince and feel the blood draw from the back of my head.

I turn to find a primitive with a fire extinguisher in hand. This time, I search around me for Skye. My body calms as I feel her near me. I breathe easier as I push out vibrations from my hands and knock the primitive back against a door.

Minutes later, the team stands over all the fallen primitives. I check everyone to see if they’re ok. They all seem fine.

“He’s gone.” May searches for Hive and I look up.

“He’s heading for Daisy.” Mack figures it out a second behind me because I’m already running.

I push myself as hard as I can. I have to get there in time. I hear Lincoln’s voice echo in my head. “Someone will be on the Quinjet when it blows.”

I let out a pained scream as I run faster. No. I couldn’t lose her.

“Skye!” I yell when I see the jet’s door closing.

I freeze when I see a jolt of electricity send her flying out of the jet before it takes off.

She’s struggling to stand. “No!” She yells looking up at the ascending jet. “No!” And then, she does stand and runs.

I’m still frozen in my spot. What just happened?

I follow her to the command center of the Zephyr as she picks up the radio.

“Lincoln. Lincoln, come in.” I hear her as I enter.

Lincoln? I frown. No. He was on the floor. He couldn’t—I close my eyes as I realize what he’s done. He was injured. I was dragged off. He’d done what I would have. Knowing someone was going to die because of the vision, he’d made sure it wasn’t Skye.

“Dammit, Lincoln. Do you copy?”

She lets out a breath. He must have answered her.

I fall back against the entryway. I was going to witness the love of my life lose the love of hers. I close my eyes tightly and breathe. This wasn’t about me. I had to be her friend. I could at least be that, couldn’t I?

“What are you doing? This is crazy.” She cries.

It’s hard only hearing her side of the conversation. “W-why—why would you—”

Because he loves you. I answer her question.

“No. No. It’s supposed to be me. I saw the future. This is my destin—” She stops talking and I watch her search her chest for something.

She’s realized something or he’s just told her something because she falls to the ground in utter pain and my heart cries for her.

Coulson and the rest of the team enter, guns drawn. Coulson looks at me and I nod. It’s done. He sees Skye on the floor and turns back to me. He understands what’s going on at that point, so he draws a hand up to quiet the team.

“This is not how it’s supposed to be.” Skye shakes her head as tears fall. “It should be me to fix the damage to my friends, to you. You can’t just die like this for me.”

Coulson goes over to Fitz and Mack and gives them orders. I just watch Skye.

“It’s—it’s wrong.”

I walk toward Skye as slowly as I can. I can’t watch her do this on her own. I won’t let her hate herself for this.

“Lincoln, you’re breaking up.” She says.

As I come closer, I see why I can only hear her side and not his. She’s got the radio connected to her comm.

“Lincoln, I can’t take it if you...” she can’t continue but she takes a breath and tries again, “You…can’t do this.” I’ve never seen her cry like this.

“No, you ca—you ca—you can’t do this. Not like this. I can’t just say goodbye. I—I have too much I want to say.”

And here it is. I was going to witness her profess her love to Lincoln and for a second, I feel disgusted at myself for being jealous of the guy.

“Realize what?” She asks. She’s quiet as she listens and her head snaps to me. The tears in her eyes get fatter and her face scrunches up in pain.

“Lin—” she cries and her face changes again. Somethings gone wrong, “Lincoln!” She presses buttons but as I look at the screen and see all connections have been lost.

She turns to see Coulson and stumbles to him. She nearly falls but I catch her as she begs, “Turn in back. Turn it back.”

“Can’t. Remote access is offline.” Coulson answers weakly. It’s hard for him to see her like this too.

“You have to.” She cries. “You have to. Help me, Coulson. Please. Please.” Her cries are torture to hear.

“Even then, the Quinjet’s not designed to maneuver in space, Daisy.” Fitz’s has tears in his eyes as he explains it to her.

“No. We have to at least try, Coul—”

“He wouldn’t want us to.” Coulson reaches for Skye, who’s still in my arms.

“He’s paying for my mistake.” Her voice is weak and shaking. I tighten my arms around her.

“Not yours, Daisy. He’s paying for everyone’s.”

We all look at the screen. The Quinjet is there and then…it’s not.

That’s when Skye starts to collapse in my arms and I ease her down. I sit on the floor with her in my arms as she wails. She’s in agony.

She cries into my neck as I rock her back and forth.

May changes the coordinates to the Zephyr and we turn back home. 

As I hold Skye, I wonder what home we’ll have when we get there. The last we knew, Talbot was heading there with the army. Who knows what it will look like?

When we land, we are greeted by Talbot and his men. Coulson and Talbot head for his office, while Simmons insists that I take Skye to the med bay. She’s still recuperating and should be resting. I can’t say I disagree.

I stay with her in the med bay. She hasn’t said a word to anyone. She has stopped crying which is good but she stares at nothing.

I worry and ask Simmons about it.

“Ward, she just lost Lincoln. She’s grieving. Let her be. She’ll get better. She just needs time.” I nod.

She doesn’t sleep, so Simmons gives her meds to help.

I decide to go shower and then find Coulson.

I go through the motions of it all without thought. I’d almost lost Skye, again. I don’t know how many more times I’ll go through this—almost losing her. I’ll do it again, no hesitation, if it means I can be around her. See her. Talk to her.

I catch Coulson, sitting in his office.

“Hey, what happened with Talbot?” I ask him, stepping into his office.

Coulson sighs. “It was really more a meeting with the President of the United States…and Talbot.” 

I frown. The President?

“They’re looking for a new Director.” He tells me with a straight face.

My eyes bulge. “They’re what?”

Coulson shrugs. “I messed up. Daisy was involved so I didn’t deal with it correctly. I should have warned Talbot when Hive first became a problem, but I didn’t. When Daisy was swayed, I kept her out of it, trying to protect her. I wasn’t honest. The President and Talbot think they need someone who isn’t SHIELD—someone with fresh eyes.”

“And what did you say?” I’m finding it very strange that he’s not more upset about this.

Coulson shrugs. “I told them I agreed.”

“You what?”

“I agree. I handled things with you, Lincoln and Yo-yo wrong. I never should have forced you into those vests. I’m too close to the situation—to all of you. I was so messed up when we lost Daisy, I hid information and made some bad decisions.” Coulson reminds me. “I told them I’d agree but only if I was his right-hand man—his advisor. And I got to veto the person if I didn’t agree with their pick.” He gives me a look. “They were pushing me out. I wasn’t going to lose all power of SHIELD. Besides, a change like this could be good.”

I don’t know what to say. “When?”

He shrugs. “They still have to start the process of finding someone. How’s Daisy?”

“Asleep thanks to Jemma.” I answer though I know that’s not what he meant.

“You going back in?” He asks already knowing the answer.

“Yea, I just had to shower.”

“I have to handle some things but I’ll swing by to check on her.”

I nod and head off to be with Skye.


	25. Chapter 25: Truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Ok, so this was supposed to be the last chapter but I have maybe one if not two more chapters to go. I cannot believe it’s almost been a year from the time I first posted this story. Thanks to all who have stuck by it. I wish we could have had more Ward on the show and this was my way of changing things, at least for myself. I hope you enjoy. Please come back for the next chapter as it’s going to be very steamy. 😉

SKYE/DAISY POV  
It’s been a week. I feel numb. When will that go away? I’m back in my room. Everything from my containment module is in here.

I don’t have much. That hasn’t changed from my days living in a van.

I look at Ward’s file sitting by my bed. I haven’t finished it. It seems like I’m cheating on Lincoln if I do. I catch my breath. It hurts to think his name.

He died because of me. I was supposed to be up there. He saved my life because he loved me and I didn’t deserve it.

I look away from the file as I finish putting my things in a bag. My laptop is packed, along with some clothes. I zip up my bag but the files scream at me. I give up and reopen my bag. I grab the stack of papers and use clips from my desk to hold them together. I shove them behind the laptop and close it. 

I’m ready. Well, for the most part. I still have to talk to Coulson. My throat tightens. Could I do this? Could I say goodbye to the man I view as a father?

I shake my head trying to push my questions out of my head. I’m dangerous. People die around me. This is good. I’m doing the right thing.

I make my way to Coulson’s office without running into anyone and I’m glad. I knock on the door and wait for him to call me in.

I hear him tell me to come in. I take a deep breath and go into his office. I don’t know how I’m going to start.

“Daisy,” he’s surprised it’s me, “what’s wrong?”

I can’t even muster up a fake smile. I feel guilty and sick. I want to crawl into a ball and fade away. “I—I want to take some time off. I—I ca—I can’t be here. I need time to think. I need to get my head straight.” I speak quickly because if I slow down, I might chicken out. “I wanted to resign. Still do.” I admit. “I just want out…to breathe.”

Coulson takes a minute to digest what I’ve just said and comes forward. I back up. We’ve gotten close enough, I can’t let him get closer to me. I won’t lean on him for support. The lines are already blurred, especially with him.

“Daisy,” he doesn’t want to let me go. I can see it in his eyes.

I stay quiet and try to convey how much I need to go.

“Daisy,” he tries again.

“I can’t be here.” I snap and I feel my damn tears hit my cheeks. “Lincoln is dead.” I sob. “He died for me. I can’t—I can’t stay here, Coulson.”

“Daisy, we can help you. We’re your family. We—” Coulson said the wrong thing.

“Family? Family?!” I demand and let out the anger I’d been holding onto. “You lied to me! You all lied to me. You all knew about Ward and lied about who he was. I hated him.” I choke out. “And you let me. Finding out he was Hydra changed me, being betrayed by him, changed me. You saw what it did to me.”

I watch Coulson back away from me and wince at my words. “It wasn’t like that, Dai—”

“Everyone knew. Why was I the last to know? I felt like an idiot. This family you say we are—they—you all lied to me. And I get it, ok? I understand that you made a choice as Director. But I idolize you. You know what you mean to me.” I sob. “You saved me. You gave me purpose. You gave me a home. A family.” I wipe my tears away. “A family who pisses me off. A family who makes mistakes. A family I love but I still need to get out. I need space. I need time.”

It breaks my heart to watch the tears form and fall from Coulson’s eyes. “I made a lot of mistakes. I make a lot when it comes to you.” He admits. “A lot of the time it’s because I don’t want to favor you or give you special treatment.” He leans on his desk and takes a deep breath. “I am sorry. I can’t take back anything. I understand you need space but trust me, I have some experience in losing a loved one, sometimes what you need is having people around you.”

“I won’t figure that out if I don’t leave.” I push. 

After a couple of moments, he nods. “Take as much time as you need.”

I nod and turn away. I’m almost out the door when I turn back. “Will you wait to tell the others—I don’t want them to know until I’m gone. I can’t say goodbye.”

He nods. “Keep in touch.”

I cry and hold myself. I shouldn’t have yelled at him like that. It wasn’t fair.

I grab my bag and drop my phone on the table. I won’t make it easy on them to trace me. I lay my goodbye note beside it and head out.

I lied to Coulson. I’m not coming back. I don’t deserve them and I’ll only bring danger to the people I love. I can’t lose anyone else and I’m for sure not going to let them lose somebody over me.

I’m almost out the door, when I bump into someone.

I curse, knowing who it is. I’d know his scent, his touch anywhere.

“Sorry.” Ward steadies me as he steps back.

I fight the urge to look down, instead, I look him in the eye.

“Are you ok?” He asks when he sees my red, swollen eyes.

“Yea. Excuse me.” I try to go around but he stops me by grabbing my arm.

“Skye? Are you going somewhere?” He’s looking at my bag and slowly meets my eyes.

He sees the answer in my face.

“Are you coming back?” He clears his throat and blinks rapidly. I see out of the corner of my eye, his hands shaking.

“I don’t know.” I answer but he knows I’m lying.

“Does Coulson know?” His voice reminds me of the old, cold, Ward who I first met.

“I asked him for time off.” I look away. “I didn’t tell him I might not come back. I have to go, Ward.”

It’s then we notice that he’s still holding my arm. He looks reluctant to let me go. Slowly, he does and we both inhale loudly.

“Skye,” I see him debating about what he wants to say. “I—” he stops and starts again, “take care of yourself.”

I swallow back my cry as I walk away and leave SHIELD behind.

2 MONTHS LATER  
WARD POV  
It wasn’t long after Skye left that I requested time off.

Coulson wasn’t stupid. He knew I was going to follow Skye but I think he wanted me to. He hasn’t had any communication with her. Nobody has. He’s hoping I can find her and keep an eye.

We know she’s been targeting the watchdogs. Days after she left, we heard news of some of their bases getting hit. Money was missing. Men turned up at police stations, unconscious and with evidence of their hate crimes.

I’ve been looking for her for over a month before I catch up to her. Even with all of SHIELD’s resources, she’s hard to find. I forgot how damn smart she is when it comes to technology.

I watch her from afar at first. Trail her to make sure she’s safe. She’s usually in the shady part of town. It doesn’t take me long to see the men tailing her.

I make no effort to find who they’re working for because I know they’re watchdogs. I grab them both and give them a proper beating before going to find Skye again.

She’s careful about her movements because she must have figured out she was being followed. Too bad the one she’s trying to hide now is from me.

I walk at a safe distance from her and know I’ll have to make my presence known to her. But I watch her for a couple of hours more, just admiring her beauty and smarts.

It’s late and she finally makes her way out of an industrial building and starts heading toward her motel room. She turns a corner and I wait before turning.

I panic when I don’t see her ahead of me. She’s not across the street and I don’t see any door she could have gone through.

In an instant, someone grabs me by the arm and I fight back. It’s been years since someone got the drop on me. Before I turn, my body realizes who it is and my body relaxes.

“Skye.”

“What did you do to my tail?” She pushes with all her strength against my chest and I take a step back by the force. She used some of her powers but not much, just enough to be able to push me.

I frown. “You knew about them?”

She rolls her eyes and then gives me a look. “You forget who my S.O.’s were.” She tugs at her sweatshirt and zips it up. “Why are you following me? I’m not ready to go back.”

“That’s not why I’m here.” I watch her as she eyes me. She’s not convinced.

Her eyes narrowed. “Coulson didn’t send you?”

I sigh. “No. I haven’t seen him in a while. I took some time off.” I admit.

“You need to stop following me.” She says as she walks off but stops just as abruptly as she’d started, “Why are you here, Ward?”

I walk up beside her. “You’ve been through a lot, Skye. I wanted—needed to make sure you were ok.” I don’t mind admitting it. “You became an Inhuman, lost both your parents and the love of your life.” That last part leaves my throat burning.

Skye laughs with no humor behind it. “I’ve been through a lot.” She shakes her head, repeating what I’ve just said. “You forgot the part that came before that.” She glares at me. “The part where my SO was a fucking mole and was working for Hydra. How he lied to us. How he lied to me. How I hated him without knowing he’d turned his life around.” I watch her as she starts to lose it on me.

I can see she needs to get this out, so I don’t say a word.

“And it wasn’t only you. All of them lied to me too. Everyone I have ever trusted and given a damn about lied to me. You all made decisions for me. Like I was a pathetic little girl. And it all starts with you.”

I still say nothing. Because I’d been a coward.

Her eyes are filling with angry tears. She looks defeated for a second. “It’s fine. They’re better off without me. Just leave me alone Ward.” She whispered, “everyone dies around me.”

She blames herself for Lincoln’s death and it pains me. How I wish I could trade spots with him. Because if I would have died that day, at least Skye would still have him. She wouldn’t be going through this loss. “I’ll stop following you. I just needed to know you were safe. I am sorry about Lincoln, Skye. I know you must have really loved him.” With that, I turn to go.

“Fuck you!” She calls after me and I feel her shove me from behind. She’s hitting me and I don’t defend myself because this isn’t Agent Johnson attacking me. This is the vulnerable Skye who I met in an alley who is hitting me. Hitting me like she did once. All hands, no strength. She’s crying. 

“Fuck you.” She repeats but her voice is shaking. “You don’t know what I felt. I cared about him. A lot. But I couldn’t love him. I didn’t deserve him.” Her face is twisted in pain. “He saved my life more than once. When I hated myself, he helped me find my purpose. He let me see that my powers were a gift, not a curse. I cared about him a lot. I loved him but I wasn’t in love with him.” I watch as she wipes tears from her eyes. “He deserved more than that. He deserved more than I could give him. He knew it and he still died for me. I’ve only ever loved one person.” She stops and looks at me with hurtful eyes. “I loved you. And you fucked me over.”

My breath catches. I had to force myself to listen to her. Had Skye just admitted to loving me? When? When had she loved me? For how long? And I feel like shit. I’d royally fucked up.

“You crushed me.” She continues. “You broke me. I’ve never trusted anyone like I trusted you. Coulson…maybe…at one point in my life. From the start, he was someone I could lean on and trust but even he didn’t understand and accept me on the level you did. We understood each other… and you still turned your back on me. I let you in and you broke me. We all loved you and we meant nothing to you. I wish I would have loved Lincoln because he deserved it. He was everything. And I couldn’t give him what he needed, not even in the end.” 

Skye steps closer to me and I'm frozen in my spot. I can’t say anything or move.

“I finally read your file,” she says, “I read every page. Why didn’t you tell me? You had so many opportunities to tell me then—to tell me after?” Her anger is back.

I open my mouth and the first thing that comes out is a pathetic excuse and even I know it. “I owed Garrett. He—”

“You didn’t owe him shit! That man turned you into a monster. He left you out in the woods for months at a time. He didn’t give a damn about you. And you killed for him. You betrayed US for him.” She looks to me and I nod my agreement. 

“I realize that now.”

“He ordered Quinn to shoot me—”

“I went to Coulson!” I finally yell back. “I came clean to Coulson. I knew who I was, who he’d made me. I knew all that I had done. So, I needed to start making things right. I was so weak and scared of how you’d react to me that I kept quiet. I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you that I was trying to fix my mistakes but I was a coward. I know what I’ve done. I could never ask you to forgive me.” I didn’t know what else to say. There was nothing else I could say.

We both looked at each other a moment, not saying anything. I take a deep breath, “I love you, Skye. I always will. You don’t need anyone to protect you but everyone needs someone to have their back. The team loves you, don’t forget that. Coulson made a mistake. Don’t stay out here too long. I’ll stop following you.” Again, I turn to walk away.

She catches up to and yanks me by the arm. “You always walk away. Why is it so easy for you to do that?” 

“You think this is easy for me?” I demand. “You think it doesn’t break my heart to walk away? I never told anyone about Christian before you. Nobody believed me before you. I’ve told you things nobody else knows about me. But I’m no good for you. You said it yourself. I fucked up. I hurt you. I loved you. I loved you from almost day one. I didn’t know that you loved me. If I would have known I would have told you right from the beginning. I’d get on my knees and beg for forgiveness. I’d do anything. I—”

“You did do everything. You did it with Coulson. You took me to my Dad. Cal was damaged but he loved me. And you—” she takes a deep breath, “you gave me that.” Her tears were back. 

“You deserve so much better than me, Skye.” I admit my worst fear. 

My surprise is mirrored in her eyes the moment she slaps me. 

After a beat, I say, “I guess I deserve that.” I rub my cheek. 

She surprises me again, as she swings and punches me. But this wasn’t just one punch, this was an attack. She’s no longer the sweet Skye I once met in an alley. The woman attacking me now is Agent Johnson of SHIELD. Before I know it, we’re fighting. This isn’t like the training we do at the base. She’s coming after me with every ounce of strength she has. And because I know she’s in pain, I only block her and dance around her kicks and punches, barely holding her off.

She’s faster than I remember and I think about the last time we sparred and it dawns on me that she’d been holding back then. Now, she’s giving it her all. Damn if it doesn’t bring a smile on my face. This woman was incredible.

I see her fury in her eyes when she notices my smile and I know she’s taken it the wrong way. She moves faster. I’m winded but still smiling.

This goes on for a couple of minutes before we’re both left gasping for breath on our backs. We’re side by side, shoulder to shoulder.

“I’m glad you got that out of your system.” I say as I try to control my breathing.

She punches me on my arm, near my shoulder as she sits. She turns on her bottom, her knees are up and she’s facing me.

I slowly sit up in the same position. Our knees are facing each other, although I’m just a little to her left.

She had a sad look on her face. “You always do that. You think you deserve all the crap that comes your way. I told you once that you were a good man, Ward. It’s still true. You lost your way some. Went on the wrong path. But it speaks mountains that you turned your back on that yourself without any coaching. You put your life on the line time and time again. If it wasn’t for you, Fitzsimmons would both be dead. Hydra would still be in power.” 

I grow uncomfortable. I hate when people bring things like this up. I shouldn’t be complimented when I was trying to fix something I’d messed up.

The fight had left her body. I could tell by the way her shoulders fell. “You’ve done more than enough but I know you’ll never forgive yourself. I wish you do someday. You deserve anything and everything you want.”

“I only ever wanted you.” I looked deep into her eyes, willing her to believe me. I never wanted anything—anyone like I wanted Skye. 

Skye bit onto the inside of both her lips and closed her eyes tight. When she opened them, she spoke softly, “I’m scared to put my faith in you. Even now, when I’m so angry, I know I love you and that scares me. It—”

“You what?” I interrupt. Her words shock me. Minutes ago, she’d confessed to once loving me. Was she saying she still loved me? “Did you say you love me?” I ask. “Do you still love me? Skye? Do you?” I’m urging her to answer. Pleading with her.

“Ward, you’re an idiot. How do you not see it? I’ve always loved you. I couldn’t stop loving you. I’m a stupid—”

But I wasn’t going to let her finish. I pulled her against me and kissed her like my life depended on it. It took less than a second for Skye to kiss back. I felt her relax against me and I pulled her on top of me as I laid back on the ground. The ground was wet but I didn’t care. We both lost ourselves in the kiss. When we could no longer breathe, we finally pulled apart. Skye was still laying on top of me. She held herself up a little to look down at me. Her face was inches above mine.

“Just because I love you, it doesn’t give you the right to manhandle me. I’m still pissed.”

I laughed. Truly laughed for the first time in what felt like years. “I don’t care. I’ll take mad over hate. As long as you love me, Skye, I don’t care how you feel. Because we can work on it. I will do anything—everything. I know I did a lot of damage but I can work on it. I’ll make you happy. I will love you all my life and make sure you know and feel it every day that you’re with me. Please tell me we can work on this.” I was begging and I didn’t care.

Skye leaned down and kissed me. This kiss was different. This kiss was slow and gentle, full of love and acceptance. “I love you, Grant Ward. God help me but I can’t stay away from you. It hurts too much. But please don’t lie to me again.” 

I shook my head. “Never,” and we were kissing again. I felt like a giddy, little schoolboy. I’d never felt this happy. I remembered my early days with Skye, after we’d started getting to know each other. It was always so easy between us. I’d been happy then I thought, just because I’d loved her and could be around her. But I’d been so naïve. This. This was what happiness was. She pulled away from me.

I could see her fighting with herself over what she was going to say.

“What, Skye? You can tell me anything.”

She looked scared and ashamed. I waited. I didn’t want to push.

“You deserve to know.” She tells me. “I went back to him.” I frown wondering who she’s talking about but I let her continue. “I was so ashamed of what I’d done. I hated myself and him for what he made me do.” Hive. She was talking about Hive. “But all I wanted was for that to go away. So, I went to him—Lincoln guessed why. The others—I think they thought I went after him to kill him but I didn’t. It wasn’t until I realized that Andrew had made me immune to Hive, that I started to fight him. He was too strong for me. The vision I had—I thought it was me. And then Lincoln—I was thrown back. He died after he told me he loved me and I couldn’t say it back. And even then, before he died, he told me that he knew I loved you.” I’m shocked at how humble Lincoln had been in the end. I wanted to hate the guy from the moment I met him, but knowing how much he loved Skye, I couldn’t.

Skye’s not looking at me. I know she’s scared I’m judging her. Again, I stay quiet. I want her to look at me when she’s ready. She finally looks up at look at me and talks before I can open my mouth. “I know everything there is to know about you, Grant. You have the right to know every part of me too.” 

I smile at her and finally have my say. “You weren’t responsible, sweetheart. You weren’t responsible for all the Agents who died or turned into those things. That was all Hive. In a moment of weakness, you went to him. Who cares? We all have those moments. You were high off of him, Skye. Lincoln chose his fate. I can’t blame you and you shouldn’t blame yourself either. If could have taken his place, I would have. You protect the person you love with your life. I would have made the same call. Life is not the same without you. Lincoln was not a scared little boy. He knew what he signed up for. He knew what he was doing. He chose. Don’t take that away from him. Besides, Lincoln was the only one who could have taken Hive up without Hive turning the jet back around.” 

She looks like she wants to argue with me. 

I hold her hands and kiss both of them. I lean forward and give her a soft kiss on her lips. “Nothing you say to me will make me turn from you. You’re human, Skye. I’ve been there. Hell,” I shake my head, “I’m still here. Even after all the help I got from Andrew, my first instinct is to blame myself for things. Forgive yourself, Skye.”

She leans her forehead against mine and takes a deep breath. She stands and gives me a hand. She doesn’t drop it when we’re both on our feet.

I lace our fingers together as we walk. I squeeze her hand as we enter her motel room.


	26. Chapter 26: Ravishing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Explicit scene in this chapter. You have been warned. Enjoy 😉 (I hope it was worth the wait)

3RD PERSON POV  
“We don’t have to…” Ward kissed Skye sweetly.

Skye, in answer, moaned. She shook her head. “Grant Ward, this has been a long time coming. We both want this.” And because he might need confirmation, she added, “I want this.”

He gathered her in his arms and backed her into the big bed in the center of the room. He wasn’t in a big hurry but she had other ideas.

She turned them and pushed him to sit on the edge of the bed. She peeled off her shirt, followed by her pants. She panted as she watched Ward looking at her. His eyes blazed with passion and in turn warmed her between her thighs. She clenched her legs together for friction as she unhooked her bra. She put her thumbs through the string of her panties and slowly pushed them to the floor before stepping out of them.

Ward watched, his body going ablaze. He itched to touch Skye, so he pulled her to him. She straddled him and kissed him. She pulled away with him giving a growl of frustration. She chuckled as she yanked his Henley over his body.

“I’ve wanted to peel a Henley off of you for years.” She admitted as she bit onto his lower lip and pulled.

Ward’s hands were everywhere on her body but they weren’t rough. His hands were soft and gentle on her skin. It was as if he was committing her body to memory. 

He was rock hard against his pants and couldn’t wait to get out of them.

Skye grinned against him and they both moaned at the friction. He grabbed her by the hips and she knew he meant to flip them.

She got on her feet and shook her head. “No chance. On the bed please.” She grinned at him and he smiled in return. 

“A little demanding, aren’t we?” He chuckled but he pulled himself onto the bed and against the headboard, his body on the bed. He toed his shoes off and took off his socks.

Skye bit her lip as she moved over him. “I know what I want.” She undid his belt and unbuttoned his pants. He helped her by lifting himself so she could pull his pants and boxers off.

Skye felt herself get wet as she finally saw him spring from his pants. He was gorgeous. He was big and thick. Not extremely long but thicker than she’d ever thought was possible. She moaned once more as she finished taking off his pants.

Her body came up to kiss him once more before she took his penis in her hands and stroked, bringing a loud moan from his lips.

“I want you inside me.” She confessed but she had a wicked smile on her face. “I’m going to taste you first.” She moved her body down. Her hands trailed behind her head, touching his arms, chest, stomach and ended on his thighs as she kissed his thick head.

He bit down the growl and urge to thrust himself into her mouth.

She chuckled again, having her fun.

“I’m going to make you hot and wet to match my pussy.” With that, she leaned over and took as much into her as she could. She licked the length of him as he cursed out loud.

“Jeezus, Skye.” His hand stroked her hair and pulled it to the side so he could see her face as she lowered her mouth over him.

Shivers ran up her whole body. Her wetness pulled in her pussy. She normally liked a lot of foreplay but she wasn’t going to last. She needed him too much.

After a couple more strokes, she blew on his tip and pushed him as fast as she could down her throat. She relaxed her throat muscles and inhaled him. She sucked hard before pulling back. She was driving them both crazy. But she’d had enough. She needed him buried deep inside her.

He saw the moment she decided this and his chuckle was low and teasing. 

“Oh no, sweetheart. It’s my turn.” He said as he flipped them on the bed.

Skye’s eyes burned with desire.

He moved slowly, tracing her body with his hands, barely touching. He kissed her on the lips and then trailed his mouth to just behind her ear. He sucked on her pulse point there and she lifted her hips from the bed. 

“Please, Grant,” Her body begged for him and his name coming from her lips moved something in him.

He was uncomfortably hard but he’d waited too long for her. He wanted to ravage her but was having so much fun teasing. He’d waited this long, he could wait a little longer.

He moved his lips down her neck and as he squeezed one of her boobs, he took the other into his mouth. Her nipples were hard as pebbles. He bit down on one and she gasped. “Yes.”

He was greedy. He had to taste every inch of her now. He moved to the other nipple as he pinched the one that had been left behind.

Skye’s body squirmed underneath him. She tried to lift herself to grind against him but he merely laughed and pulled away from her.

“Grant.” She panted.

“I’m just enjoying the wine, sweetheart. You had your turn. Now it’s mine.” He smiled at her as he moved his mouth back to her nipple and bit slightly harder than he’d bit the previous one.

She gasped when he finally touched her swollen pussy. She pushed into his hand. She’d never been as wet as she was in this moment.

He teased her pussy. He ran his thumb up and down her slit and slowly eased a finger in and she hissed, “God, yes.”

The hiss is what moved him. He inched down her body and tasted her sweet pussy. He’d never tasted something so sweet. She tasted better than he’d imagined.

As he moaned with pleasure of tasting her pussy at long last, she grabbed his head to push into him. “Oh my God. Just like that.”

She was thrashing as he licked her completely and eased the tip of his tongue into her, where his finger still was. He added another and pleasured her with them. He sucked on her clit with earnest.

She knew couldn’t take much more of this. “Grant.” She cried.

He knew she was close as he pulled his mouth away, only to drag it once more over her slit and bit on her clit and sucked.

She fell apart in his arms. Her legs shook with her orgasm and her body lifted off the bed but he kept sucking, his eyes open, watching her.

He moved away from her as she came down from her pleasure and in one smooth stroke, he impaled herself in her sweet pussy. 

He grunted and moaned at the feel of her walls clenching on him. “Damn, you’re so tight.”

Her eyes were wide as she took him in. “Oh my God. Yes. Jeezus, Grant. You feel so good.” She moved against him and that’s all the encouragement he needed to move inside her.

He forced himself to go slow. He moved in long, full but slow strokes to which Skye shook her head. “Take me, Grant. I’m yours. I want all of you.” And when he simply looked at her for affirmation, she begged, “please.”

That was all he needed. Sweat pulled between his muscles as he set a fast and hard pace. He’d never been a vocal person during sex but sex with Skye was turning him into a different person.

“God, you’re so tight. Touch yourself for me, baby.” He commanded and instantly, Skye brought her hands to her titties and squeezed. She took her nipples in her fingers and pinched.

“You’re so deep in me, Grant.” She moaned between strokes.

He fucked her hard. Her words gave him the energy to move faster than he ever thought possible. They both cried out.

Skye's head fell back as she moaned and thrashed. “Yes. Yes.”

“God, I love this pussy.” He sat back and pulled her into a sitting position on him. There were both sitting, face to face. “My pussy.” He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her into a heavy kiss.

“God, yes. Only yours.” She agreed as he helped lift her only to set back down on himself.

She was close to coming again, they could both feel it. She bit down on her lips, wanting to wait and hold onto it a little longer.

“Come for me, sweetheart.” He urged and that was enough for her to fall apart in his arms.

This time, she came with a scream. Her whole body trembled and jerked and he almost came right then and there but he wasn’t done with her yet.

He eased her back on the bed and flipped her, bringing her knees up so her ass was in the air. He entered her again and growled. 

Skye grabbed hold of the sheets. “Yes, fuck me.” She moaned.

Instead of slamming into her like before, this time he took his time. He withdrew slowly and entered her again. Skye gripped him and he cursed, “Jeezus you grip me good, sweetheart. Do it again.”

Skye clenched her walls around him as tight as she could and felt him jerk inside her. She was still riding high from her last orgasm and knew another one wasn’t far behind.

“Grant—I’m—I’m going to—” Skye choked out as she raised herself on her hands. She leaned back on him to take in more of him.

 

“Let go, baby.” He reached for her and eased her back onto his chest so that she was off the bed. He fully pulled out of her before easing back in. It was a slow torture and she came undone.

He eased his hand between her legs and rubbed her clit till she screamed.

It was then, that he finally let go. His orgasm came in the form of a loud growl and she whimpered against him.

“Oh my God.” She smiled. “I can feel you filling me.”

Grant hadn’t stopped moving in and out of her. With those words, he felt himself jerk another smaller load deep in her pussy as she gripped him. “Fuck.” 

He eased them down on their side onto the bed but didn’t pull out. He wanted to feel her tight pussy until she came down from her orgasm.

They were both covered in sweat. They panted and spooned.

“Damn you, Grant Ward.” She said with a bit of frustration.

An amused smile covered his face. He pulled her closer still to his body and his arm tightened around her waist. “What?” He finally asked.

“We could have been doing that on the bus.” Her exhausted voice filled the room and he laughed.

“Maybe not on the bus. You’re loud, woman.” He kissed behind her ear.

“I’m loud. Look who’s talking.” She looked over her shoulder and he caught her in a kiss.

He shrugged. “I do see your point though. Why didn’t we?”

After a beat, Skye answered. “Cause you were still loyal to Garrett and you were fucking May.”

Ward’s back stiffened and he tried pulling away. “Skye—”

She laughed. “Sorry. I was trying to make a joke.” She pulled his arm back to her. “But you were fucking May.”

He pulled away from her then. “Skye—” they both winced when he pulled out of her.

“Hey!” She turned to grab him by the shoulders. “Look at me. I’m being an ass and I’m sorry. I’m not mad. Maybe a little jealous. I was mad then but not anymore. Back then, when I figured out what was going on, I was hurt and angry. But we hadn’t exactly said anything to each other. You were free to do what you wanted. I’m sorry I brought it up.” Her hands were on either side of his face. “I really was trying to make a joke. It didn’t come across. I’m sorry.”

He searched her eyes. “I love you, Skye. I can’t change my past.”

She kissed him. “I know that. I wouldn’t want to change it. You’re here now, with me because of that past. Things happen for a reason, Grant. I believe that. But I do wish we would have been honest then. It would have saved a lot of heartache.”

He nodded. “I know it sounds horrible but she meant nothing.” 

Skye smiled. “I love you. From now on, no more secrets. We have to be honest one hundred percent of the time. Deal? Because I can’t stand any more of this doubting and misunderstandings.”

“I promise.”

They got back in bed facing each other this time.

“Now,” She looked him in the eyes, “one more question?”

“Shoot.” He kissed her nose.

“How was she?” She teased.

“God, Skye.” His face twisted in disgust and shock. “Come on.”

She laughed. “I’m joking. I’m sorry.”

“How can you even joke about that? You have one sick sense of humor.”

“I’ll stop. I’ll stop.” She promised as she leaned in to get another kiss and as she did, her hand roamed his body to grip his penis.

“Skye,” he warned.

She stroked him. “Hmm?”

“You need to give me a minute.” He squeezed his eyes shut and leaned away. But his cock was already hard for her.

“What?” She asked.

“I can’t. Give me a minute.” His eyes were still shut.

She laughed. “Yes, you can. You’re ready now.”

“My body maybe but not my head.”

She kissed his neck. “What? Why?”

“Because I don’t think it’s sexy bringing up other people while we’re in bed.” He explained. 

Skye thought about it and then said, “If it makes you feel any better, I think Coulson might have a thing for May. So, she’s no longer an option for you.”

“Please don’t say his name in bed.” He pleaded.

“What’s wrong with Coulson?” She pushed him on his back and laid on top of him.

“Stop saying his name. He’s like your father, for god sake. That’s why. No mentioning parents in our bed.”

She laughed. “Fine.” She smiled as she got a glint in her eyes. “Let me help you forget about them then.” She eased down and spread kisses on his chest, stomach and finally took him in her mouth. “Watch me, Grant. Watch me lick you clean of our juices.”

His eyes snapped open and his hands went straight for her head. One hand pushed and gathered her hair while the other one cupped the back of her head.

“Mmm.” She moaned as she took him deeper in her mouth and sucked.

“Fuck, you look fucking beautiful from up here.” He growled.

She sat up and positioned him at her entrance. In one smooth stroke, she impaled herself on him. She let out a loud moan.

He took a boob in each hand and squeezed as she squeezed his cock with her pussy.

“How do I look now?” She gasped between strokes. She was relentless as she rode him.

He moved his hands to her waist and helped lift her. “Fucking gorgeous.” 

“Fuck.” She moaned. “Me.” Her head was thrown back and he could feel her orgasm forming. “I. Love. You.”

“Shit.” His orgasm hit him out of nowhere. Immediately, he moved his hand to her pussy and rubbed her clit. He was still coming inside of her when her orgasm hit.

They rode the waves of extasy together. Neither stopped their lovemaking. She kept rising on him and falling back on his jerking dick, milking him till he had no more to give.

She collapsed on him. When she could speak again, she said, “I’m filled up with you.”

“I didn’t know I could cum that much.” He admitted with a smile, still out of breath.

“Mmm.” She snuggled in his arms.

He pulled her to his side, so they were both on the bed. “We made a mess.” He said as he kissed her closed eyes. “I can feel my cum dripping out of your pussy and onto the sheets.”

“God, I’m tired but your words make my pussy twitch with life.” She licked his neck.

“I know. I can feel it.” He moaned. “Sleep. We have all the time in the world.”

She nodded and in minutes they were both asleep.

Skye was the first to wake a couple of hours later, when she had the urge to use the bathroom. She eased out of bed as softly as she could.

When she stepped through the door to make her way back to bed, she saw he was awake, waiting for her. The look he gave her left her with goosebumps and she could feel her body respond to him.

He raised his arm to hold up the blanket and she jumped into bed, cuddling him close. He wrapped his arm and blanket around her tight. He leaned over her to kiss her.

His hands wandered down her body to between her thighs and moaned when he felt how wet she was for him already. She parted her legs and looked for him under the covers.

He was hard against her belly.

She shivered. “Grant.”

“Hmm.” He said between kisses. He kissed her face, her neck, behind her ear. He was driving her crazy with need.

“You’re going to kill me if you keep playing with me like this.” She warned him as she let herself get lost in those kisses.

“What do you mean?” He asked as he took a handful of breast and put it in his mouth as he licked and sucked on her nipple.

“It’s too much. Just fuck me, please.” She groaned.

She could feel his smile against her breast and she whined.

He laughed and eased himself in her.

“Jerk.” She grabbed his shoulders.

He bit her neck and she squealed.

He savored her much like he’d done hours before. He lifted her leg over his shoulder and moved in and out of her. She grabbed a pillow from above her and stuffed it under her butt, elevating her hips and moaned at the angle they were at.

“Oh my God.” She shivered. “Right there.” She bucked against him.

“Jeezus, Skye.” His nose flared and he clenched his teeth.

“I love you fucking me. You hit that spot just right.”

He went deeper then. He knew just the spot she was talking about. He continued to hit her most sensitive area and too soon, she was coming around him. “That’s right, sweetheart. Let me hear you.”

She opened her mouth and released the pleasure she was trying to control.

He rubbed at her clit to make it last longer and just as she was coming down, he felt his body spasm and his prick released his cum. He filled her as she clenched around him.

“I’m never going to get used to that.” He grunted as he collapsed on her side.

Before she said anything, they both heard her stomach growl.

They both laughed but didn’t move off the bed.

He realized something and looked at Skye. “Skye, when did you last eat?” He’d watched her and didn’t remember seeing her eat.

She shrugged. “Lunch maybe. I can’t remember.”

“Skye.” His good mood gone. “You have to eat. You have to take care of yourself.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Chill. I was planning on having dinner when I came back to the room. As you know, those plans changed.”

She eased off the bed and he watched her digging around the corner of the room.

She came back with a handful of pop tarts, a half empty bag of chips and a box of Oreos.

He scowled at her. “Skye, that is not food. That stuff isn’t nutritious.”

Again, she rolled her eyes and dropped everything on the bed. “I wasn’t planning on burning so many calories. I eat breakfast, lunch and for dinner I just have snacks. I’ll remember to buy some fruit next time.”

He groaned. “We have to make sure you’re eating properly. From now on, no snacks for dinner.”

“You’re really controlling and demanding. I don’t remember you being this way and I don’t know if I like it.” She glared at him but they both knew she had no power behind her words.

“I’m usually not. But I won’t have you not eating right.” He grabbed a pop tart and took a bite.

“I will remind you that I am a grown ass adult. And an Inhuman and a damn good hacker. Not to mention a badass spy.” She bit into an Oreo. “I decide what I want to eat. I don’t need or want anyone telling me what to do.”

He saw the fire in her eyes. He had no answer but to grab her and kiss her. He didn’t care that she still had a cookie in her mouth.

She pulled back laughing. “I had cookie in my mouth.” She slapped his shoulder.

He licked his lips as they had a couple of crumbs from the Oreo.

They grew quiet as they ate.

He could see she was thinking of something but he knew she’d ask so he waited.

“Do you miss protecting me?” She’d finished three pop tarts and a handful of Oreos before she’d asked.

“Yes. But I’ll never stop wanting to protect you. I’ll always protect you.” He answered honestly. She gives him a look and he smiles. “Do you mean, do I miss you being a damsel in distress?”

“I was never a damsel.” She pouts.

“Yes, I miss having to protect you physically but I wouldn’t change who you are now. Do you know how hot you look when you handle yourself?” She blushes. “You’re one badass woman and I find it very attractive.” He grabs her by the hips and pulls her to him. He takes her in his arms. She loves how he almost wraps himself around her.

“I might not need you to protect me, but I do want these arms to hold me. I like you taking care of me. I find it annoying but it’s kinda hot.” She admits.

A yawn escaped her. 

“Let’s go to bed.” He suggested.

She shook her head. “I want to stay up and play.” She got on all fours on the bed and pushes him back on the bed.

He laughed. “Sweetheart, you’re going to pass out in a minute. I’m not into necrophilia.”

She yawned again. “Fine. But I don’t think it’s called that. That’s only when someone’s dead, I think.” She settled on the bed as he gathered all the snacks.

As he set them on the small counter near the window, he noticed all the wrappers she’d left in her time in the motel. He picked up the trash and threw it away. He saw even more junk in the trash and he chuckled.

“What?” She asked half asleep.

“Sweetheart, you eat too much junk food.” He laid beside her. “God help me if we ever get pregnant.”

She was too tired to think about his comment but his slip of the tongue made him freeze beside her. “Skye?”

“Hmm.” She was almost asleep.

“Sweetheart, wake up. Are you on the pill?” They’d had sex and he hadn’t thought to put a condom on. His heart raced. He cursed at himself.

“Hmm.” She’s not paying attention.

“Sweetheart, wake up. Skye? Skye, are you on the pill?” He gently shook her shoulder.

She frowned and answered with, “Shot.”

He waited for her to say something else. “Skye? That’s good for six months. How long ago did you get it?” His heart rate slowed as he knew how it worked. He shook her again when she didn’t answer.

This time she groaned. “Sleep.”

“Skye, how long ago?” He kissed her cheek.

“Mmm. When I came back.” She answered.

He knew he wasn’t going to get much from her now. He’d have to get answers from her in the morning.

He wrapped his arms around her and let sleep take him.


	27. Chapter 27: Reunions and Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I couldn’t help myself and had to put this in. 😊 Thanks everyone for sticking by this story. I know I say that a lot but I’m truly thankful. This is the last chapter/epilogue which is why it’s longer. To tell you the truth, it got away from me. Skyeward’s story is just beginning. I have some other Skyeward stories I’m working on and should be posting soon. After I’m done with those, I have some ideas of short stories for this particular timeline. Keep an eye out for those in the future.

EPILOGUE  
2 MONTHS LATER  
SKYE POV

“I can’t believe we’re in Ireland.” I take a deep breath and admire the view.

We’re in a small town in Southern Ireland. We’ll be heading back to SHIELD soon enough but we had to make one last stop.

“Come on. I think it’s this way.” Grant leads me. Our fingers are laced as they always are now when we walk together.

We pass by a little shop and a man is sitting outside with a paper. I smile at the cover. “They’re calling me Quake.”

Grant laughs and I see him roll his eyes. “They could be talking about me, you know.”

It’s my turn to roll my eyes at him.

I’m going to miss being Quake the Vigilante. We decided to go back to SHIELD. I miss everyone. I’ve spoken to Yo-yo. Fitz isn’t talking to me and Jemma has been busy. I tried talking to Mack but he was on some mission with Coulson. They’re hiding something from me. This morning, to be exact, I heard May say something about the Director with an odd tone to her voice.

I look at Grant. I know he’s just as confused as me but I’m not going to bother him with my worry. This trip will be our last as civilians before being full-time agents again. We visited Cal before coming here. Not that it was much of a visit since he doesn’t know who I am. Now we’re here for Grant because he deserves this. Not that I’m happy to be here but it means more to him.

“Where is it?” I ask after we’ve been walking for about 10 minutes.

“There.” He points and I look up.

“Why am I not surprised?” I shake my head as we make our way to the bar.

I can hear them even from outside and a smile appears on my face.

Grant opens the door as I hear, “Do what you want, Lance, just leave me out of it.” And then because she heard someone come in, she starts to say, “I’m sorry but the bar will be closed for an hour be—” but she sees us and stops.

A wide smile appears on Bobbi’s face and she races to us.

“Hunter!” She calls before taking me in her arms.

“Now what in the blood—” Hunter comes through some back doors and freezes as he sees us. “Well, shit.”

He turns and goes back where he came from. I’m confused and I frown at both Grant and Bobbi. Seconds later, Hunter marches out with two big assault rifles.

“Jeezus, Hunter.” Grant shakes his head.

“Are either of you hurt?” He strides over and hands Grant one of the guns.

I laugh and throw myself to him, wrapping him in a hug. “I’ve missed you.”

“What the bloody hell are you two doing here?” He sounds shocked and concerned. I step back. “Are you in trouble?”

“Do they look like they’re in trouble?” Bobbi asks as she grabs the gun away from Hunter and takes the one Grant is handing to her.

“I’m confused, mate. If nobody is following you, what in the hell are you doing here?” He sits on a stool and watches us.

“Not even a hello?” Grant asks. “Just a ‘what in the hell are we doing here’? Alright then.” Grant pulls up a chair for me and takes a seat himself.

Bobbi comes back and takes the fourth chair at the table. “How long are you guys here for?”

“Just for today. We need to head back to the states.” Grant answers and holds my hand under the table.

Hunter looks between Grant and me and finally, he opens his mouth. “OK, so you’re not in any danger? Nobody is after you? You’re not looking for shelter?”

We shake our heads and he jumps off his seat.

“Damn. I was hoping for some action. Bob and I’ve been bored. Haven’t we, Bob?” He doesn’t wait for her to answer. “Well, come here. Give me a proper hello you wanker.” 

Hunter steps around and gives Grant a hug, much to my surprise.

“And what the bloody hell is this?” Hunter asks as he notices Grant’s laced his fingers with mine. “You finally took your head out of your ass? I knew it wouldn’t last with Sparky. He put up a fight when you finally made a move on Daisy?”

My body stiffens as it often does when Lincoln is brought up. It’s still hard not feeling guilty.

“Hunter.” Bobbi warns because I think she’s noticed our reactions. She was a great SHIELD agent once. She doesn’t miss much.

“What? He’s a good bloke but—what?” Hunter stopped at the look Bobbi was giving him and turned to Grant for an explanation.

“You’ve missed a lot, Hunter.” Was all Grant would say.

Hunter turned to me, somehow, he knew what Grant meant by his comment.

“I’m sorry, love.” Hunter seems so genuine. I missed him. Even at his worst, he was always so entertaining. I judged his character more than once but he’s one of a kind and he truly cares for us all.

“Thanks.” I nod. “We’ve missed you guys.”

“Let’s have a beer for him, shall we?” He gives me a small smile. “We can catch up before we open the bar.”

We stay for two hours. Hunter bartends with Bobbi, so once they open, we don’t have much time to talk but we agree to meet up after.

I try to hide my exhaustion from Grant but he knows me so well, I don’t even know why I try. 

“Let’s go to our room before we meet Hunter and Bobbi again. We could use a nap.” He suggests as we’re walking through town.

“No.” I want to shop. “Our schedules have been messed up. We’ve been gone from SHIELD too long. There won’t be time for naps when we go back to saving the world.”

“Even more reason to rest while we still can.” Grant places a kiss on the side of my head.

“Ok.” I agree because I do feel tired. “Let’s eat first. I’m getting hungry.”

We got to a small restaurant and I pig out. The food all tastes wonderful. I finish everything on my plate and even have some of Grant’s before we head back to our room.

Usually, once inside our motel the first thing we do is get naked but I’m so tired, I curl up in bed.

“Skye, you feeling ok?” Grant sits by my side.

“Just tired. I’ll be 100% after my nap.” I say as I close my eyes.

WARD POV  
I watch Skye closely for the rest of the day. She was too tired earlier and she woke up feeling sick. She’s eaten everything in sight since we’ve arrived so she blames herself for eating so much.

We meet Bobbi and Hunter outside of the bar and walk over to their place. I walk hand in hand with Skye and we both watch our friends bicker back and forth.

I smile at Skye as she eyes me before turning back to our entertainment again. I’m happy Bobbi and Hunter have figured things out. They argue a lot but they love a lot too. Hunter, even though he’s complaining and arguing, looks very happy.

Of course, Hunter hands us beers as soon as we make it to their home. We all sit around a small dining table and start catching up. Skye asks for juice saying she can’t handle beer at the moment or she will end up being sick.

Between odd jobs and mercenary work, Bobbi and Hunter have stayed busy. They’ve only been here for a month but think they’ll stay a while.

They ask us about Mack and the rest of the team and Skye and I get busy updating them on all they’ve missed which ends up being a lot.

When we get to Hive, we both stop and explain that the creature had come through. They both look frightened for a moment but as we’re here, they know it’s been dealt with.

I tell them Lincoln put an end to Hive and they both look to Skye to give their condolences. She doesn’t say anything but nods.

“You’re going back then?” Lincoln asks.

“I’ve talked to Coulson. We’re due back in a couple of days.” I lean back and take a drink of my beer.

“Why, mate?” Hunter looks from me to Skye. “Don’t get me wrong. I love the bunch. Coulson’s a good man, worthy of the following but will it ever be too much?”

I don’t judge Hunter for this. When he was with SHIELD, he was loyal but SHIELD was never his life. He’s always been moving. The only thing that kept him there was Bobbi.

“It’s always too much,” Skye answers, “every day it’s too much. There was a time when I didn’t understand SHIELD, like you but it’s needed. We’re needed. People need protecting. I was given a gift and I might have never received it if I hadn’t been taken in by Coulson. They’re our family,” Skye reaches over the table and places her hand over Hunter, “like you and Bobbi. Any time you need us, we’ll be there. We have to go, Hunter. You guys were put in a tough spot and weren’t given a choice. How can we walk away knowing what they’re battling?”

Bobbi reaches and puts her hand over Skye’s. “Give a Mack hug when you see him for me, won’t you?” Bobbi sheds a tear. “God knows, he won’t believe it’s from me but he doesn’t need to know.”

“I’ll tell him it’s from you anyway.” Skye leans over the table to hug Bobbi. 

We stay for hours and the subjects move from serious to light. Hunter makes fun of my powers, saying I’m useless without Skye. He has a point so I don’t argue.

“Daisy, are you ok?” Bobbi asks and I immediately turn to Skye.

Her eyes are closed and she looks pale. “Bathroom.” She says before covering her mouth.

Bobbi points. “Door on the right.”

Skye is on her feet and running with me on her heels. I hold her hair back and she lunges for the toilet. She cries as she vomits and her body shakes.

After a minute she’s finished. She drops the lid and flushes the toilet. I let go of her hair and help her up. She goes to the sink to wash out her mouth and splashes her face.

“Ugh. What did I eat?” She groans, leaning over the sink.

I rub her back until she stands. She looks around and finds some toothpaste. She gives me a sad look and puts some on her finger to semi brush her teeth.

“Skye.”

“I need it. My mouth feels gross.” She says when she finishes and opens the door to the hall. “Come on. Let’s get back out there.”

“You don’t want to go back to the hotel?” I ask.

“No. We leave in the morning. That’s not enough time.” She walks out as she talks. “Hey, guys. Sorry about that.”

This woman always surprises me even in the small moments. I plaster a smile on my face, even though I want to go back to the room and have her rest. I know better than to start an argument by telling them we have to leave.

“What’d you eat, love? You look like shite.” Hunter looked over Skye.

“Nice, Hunter.” Bobbi brings Skye a glass of water.

“What? She looks bloody miserable.” He says with disgust plastered on his face.

Him and his honesty. “That’s enough, Hunter.”

He throws up his hands like he’s done. “Didn’t know we were so sensitive.”

“Do I really look that bad?” Skye asks before she takes a drink of water.

Hunter chuckles. “Nah. It’s not so bad if I quint.” 

After a beat, we all burst into laughter. 

“I don’t know how you don’t get tired of him, Bobbi.” Skye kids.

“I take it day to day.” 

“Hey, it’s not like you’re a walk in the park, sweetheart.” Hunter throws back at Bobbi.

I keep my eye on Skye for the rest of the night until early morning when we say our goodbye and leave. We won’t have time to do this before we leave.

It’s hard for us to say goodbye but at least this time, we have the chance and it won’t really be goodbye. “I’ll see you, mate.” Hunter says and I see the tears in his eyes. “Take care of yourself. Keep in touch.”

I hug both him and Bobbie and step back to give Skye the chance to do the same. After she hugs them, I take her hand and we turn to leave. We don’t look back though because we know this won’t be the last time we see them.

SKYE’S POV  
“Thank God.” I ease my head off of Ward’s shoulder. That was the longest flight ever. My stomach is still killing me. “I feel hungover. I can’t wait to see Jemma.”

“We’ll stop at a pharmacy on the way to base. There’s no point in waiting a couple of days, especially if you’re sick. We’ll get you some electrolytes. You might be dehydrated.” Grant stands and grabs our bags from the overhead compartment. 

I nod and we start the process of going through customs. I miss flying on the jet. I’ve never flown commercial and I don’t like it.

“I can’t wait to get back on the Zephyr.” I pout at Grant. “I hated the flight.”

He chuckles and kisses me on my temple. “A little snobby, aren’t we?” He teases.

“It’s not snobby. The seats were gross. The guy in front of us clearly hadn’t bathed in a week. Ugh and the babies. All the crying babies. Babies should NOT be allowed out in public.”

He doesn’t say anything but laughs.

“All they did was cry. I felt horrible for their mothers. Not one dad stepped up to help. It was infuriating. I wanted to be like, ‘Hey, buddy, she didn’t put that baby in herself. Maybe help her out once in a while.’ Ugh they were jerks.” I know I’m complaining too much but I’m not feeling well.

Grant changes the subject and asks if I’m sure I want to go back to SHIELD. We’ve had this conversation a million times. When I left, I thought it was for good. I thought the team was better off. I thought I was better off. But I’d been in a dark place.

SHIELD was my family. The good, the bad, the ugly. Coulson had been right when he told me I’d need to surround myself with people I loved. I felt like the prodigal daughter coming home. I’d thrown them away like they didn’t matter when they were the only family I ever had.

“Yes. SHIELD is home. I wish I was strong enough to stay away and maybe in the future, we should but right now, it’s where we should be. This is what we were meant to be. We have so many people we still have to help.” I answer him as he takes me in his arms.

Once out of the airport, we find the nearest pharmacy. I grab a basket and grab some crackers to settle my stomach. I grab a banana from a basket and put that in too. I walk down the aisle and see candy and chocolate. The chocolate is calling my name. I can’t decide which to get, so I grab one bar of each chocolate that I like.

Grant finds me in the chip aisle and gives me a look when he sees the basket I’m carrying. He takes it from me and puts 2 big bottles of Pedialyte in the basket.

I make a face. “Yuck. Pedialyte?”

“Skye, I know you don’t like it but it’ll help. You need it.” His voice is stern like he’s talking to a child and he still has that look on his eyes that tells me not to argue.

I don’t listen to myself. “But can’t I just get some energy drinks. Those are yummy.”

“I’ve checked and they don’t have any sugar free ones.”

“So, we grab some with sugar.” I move toward the refrigerators.

He follows me in silence. When I get to the refrigerators against the wall, I grab a couple of Gatorades.

“One. You’re not drinking all that sugar, especially when your stomach is already upset.” He leaves me with one as he grabs the rest and puts them back in the refrigerator. 

“But—”

“Just one.” His look hardens and I make a face.

“Ugh. Fine.”

He smiles and I melt a little but I can’t show him, so I pout.

As we head to the registers, something pink catches my eye. I make my way to them. I look at the tampons, realizing that I should probably grab some on the way to base. My period is due any day now and—I freeze.

“Grant. What day is it?”

“Thursday.” He gives me a weird look. “The 15th. Why?”

Holy hell. Had I gotten my period last month? I couldn’t remember. I was like clockwork. I’ve never been late in my life.

“Skye, what is it?” He sounds a little worried and I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack.

“Oh my God.” I can feel my body shaking. I lose control and the building around me starts to shake. I can see Grant freaking out but I can’t stop the vibrations emitting from my body.

He drops the basket and thrusts his hands toward the floor. I can see him counteracting my vibrations with his own. He knows I don’t have control and he’s helping the ground from shaking.

I ease my breathing. I can’t bring this building down on us. I have to focus. I slowly release the feeling of vibrations around me.

Finally, the building stops shaking.

Grant’s arms are around me. “Skye, what’s wrong?”

“I—I—” I don’t even know what to say. “Grant, I’m late.”

He eases back from me and I see him frowning. “Late?” He shakes his head confused. 

“I’m late.” I give him a look. I can’t say it.

Knowledge hits him and I see his panic. “You’re on the shot. You’re due for your next in three weeks.” He doesn’t believe me.

“Grant, I’m never late. Never. My body knows the calendar better than I do, ok? I’m telling you I’m late.” I take a deep breath. “I’ve been tired and been vomiting.” 

Grant grabs a couple of pregnancy tests, picks up the basket and leads me to the back of the building. A sign over a door, tells me it’s the restroom.

He sets the basket on a shelf and then, he leads me inside the restroom and asks if anybody is inside.

When we don’t hear anyone, he turns. “Take these. Go in the stall. I’ll wait here.” He tells me.

I go in the stall, my hands shaking. I open all three and place them on the dispenser when I’m done with them. Then, I step out to wait with him. All in all, he grabbed three pregnancy sticks. Different brands with different little windows.

I set a timer on my phone and we wait in silence.

When my timer goes off, I’m scared. I don’t move from my spot.

I feel Grant’s fingers lace with mine. “Hey, I’m right here.” He reminds me and kisses our joined hands. I look into his eyes and see the support there that I need.

I nod and we step into the stall together. I see two lines in the first window, a cross and a line in the second and the word “pregnant” on the third.

Before I can react, Grant picks me up and he’s kissing me. He leans away from me and all I see is a ridiculous grin on his face.

“I love you.” He tells me and he gives me another quick kiss. “I love you so much, sweetheart.”

And in that second, I feel the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I burst into tears. I’m terrified as fuck but I can’t wait to see our baby. We made a baby. Holy shit.

“Marry me.” Grant surprises me by saying.

“What?!” I squeal.

He sets me down and starts to kneel but I grab him by the shoulders.

“Grant Douglas Ward don’t you kneel in this disgusting floor.” I warn.

His smile doesn’t waver and he digs something out of his pocket. It’s a ring. “Skye, will you marry me?”

I panic. “We don’t have to be married to have a child together, Grant. I don’t want you to ask me because of the baby. It’s not—”

He puts a finger on my lips to hush me. “Sweetheart, I’m asking you to marry you because I love you. I want to marry you because we’ve lost years. I don’t want to lose anymore. I’m not going to date you until it’s appropriate to ask you to marry me. I won’t go by some society timeline. I want to marry you now.”

My hands are shaking. “When did you buy the ring?”

“The day after you told me you loved me. I’ve been holding onto it for the right moment which I now realize is stupid. There’s no better moment than now. I love you, Skye and I want you to be my wife.”

I close my eyes and let my tears fall. “Coulson is going to have a hard time remembering my new name.” I laugh through tears.

“So, it’s a yes?” He asks with hope and love in his eyes.

I nod. “Yes.”

He lifts me as he kisses me. “God, I love you.”

“I love you too.” I say as he steps back and places the ring on my finger. It fits perfectly.

I look at the ring more carefully. I love it. It’s simple, not flashy. It’s got a thin gold band with a flower right smack in the middle. The leaves are tiny diamonds and the middle looks like a sapphire which is orange. 

“It’s a daisy.” He tells me as I examine the ring. It brings more tears to my eyes. “I thought it would be a nice way to remember. Remember your parents, who you were meant to be…and remind myself that you’re not Skye but Daisy.”

I look up at him in shock. “Grant, I’ve been trying to be Daisy Johnson for a long time. I think I have to let go of who I should have been and be happy with who I am. You were right when you said I’d always be Skye. I chose Skye for myself because that’s who I was. You were the first to really see me.” I stand on my tip toes and give him a quick kiss. “I love the ring. I’m changing my name but I won’t be Daisy Ward. It’ll be Skye Ward.”

The smile plastered on his face melts me to my core. “Skye Ward.” He tries it.

“It was always meant to be Skye Ward and it will always be Skye Ward.”

He lifts me once more and pushes me against the wall. “I need you.” He growls and I’m right there with him. I can feel myself getting hot and wet.

I start tugging on his belt. “Skye, I’m not fucking you in a pharmacy bathroom. Let’s find a room.” He sucks on my ear for a minute and I groan in frustration.

“No fair. I want you now.” I watch as he grabs the boxes for the pregnancy test and then tosses the actual tests in the trash.

“Come on. Let’s go get a room.”

I let him lead me out of the restroom. He grabs our basket and we are antsy as we pay at the register. I hate waiting. I want him now.

We have a room in less than half an hour. The door is barely closed when he throws me against it. He takes my top off and my bra follows seconds later. He squeezes my breasts before taking one in his warm mouth.

I moan in pleasure and run my fingers through his hair and tug. He undoes my pants and sets me down so I can push my panties down. He uses the time to take his clothes off. In record time, he’s back on me as he lifts me and buries himself deep in my pussy.

God, I love this. My toes curl as he pulls out completely before thrusting back in. He continues this for a few more strokes before he starts shorter, sharper, harder ones.

I dig my heels on his ass and I clench my muscles around him, release and repeat. I tug at his ear lobe with my teeth and grin when he moans loudly. I meet his thrusts and move my hips just like he likes.

“Sweetheart, I need you to come.” He tells me as his thumb finds my clit. He knows how to touch me. I can feel my orgasm coming and I hold onto him as tightly as I can.

I turn my head a little and he knows what I want. His mouth comes to the curve of my neck and kisses softly and finds my sensitive area and as he rubs my clit and pounds into me, I cum.

I’ve always been a talker when having sex but I’ve never been this loud.

I feel him following my orgasm. I can feel his dick twitch inside me and I feel the warmness of his cum filling me.

He sets me on the bed and instead of laying next to me like I thought he would, he kneels next to the bed and places a hand on my stomach.

I choke on my emotion. He looks beautiful like this. He looks so tender. I can not only feel his love but I can see it in his eyes as he drags them away from my stomach and into my eyes.

He smiles when our eyes meet. “I’m going to take care of you both.” He kisses my stomach and finally lays next to me.

“I know.” I tell him as I curl into his body. I can’t help but think how perfect he feels. His body covers my curves and I can’t help but think that we were made for each other.

“I want to get married as soon as we get to base.” He tells me as he spoons me.

I’m surprised but I don’t mind doing it as soon as possible. I’ve never thought about getting married, much less wanted a traditional wedding with a white dress.

“Ok. Do you think Coulson can walk me down the aisle? Cal—" I don’t finish my sentence.

Grant squeezes me. “I think he’ll be honored to do it. He loves you, Skye.”

I nod because I know.

“We can a maid of honor and best man?” He suggests.

“Ok. But that’s it. I just want to get married. I can hack into city records and get ourselves a marriage license and have it filed.”

“We did this backwards.” He chuckled. “We already had our honeymoon and got pregnant.”

I laugh and stop as soon as I feel him stir against my back. “Mmm.” I pushed back against him. I’m so ready for another round.

We spend the day in bed. We can go back to base tomorrow.

GRANT POV  
We meet SHIELD agents we’ve never met 10 miles outside of the base and get questioned before doing a full body scan and going through an orientation on new protocols.

Skye and I finally walk onto base, hand in hand. We find Mack, Coulson and Simmons waiting for us, they all have smiles on their faces.

It’s good to be home.

Skye squeals from beside me and then takes off so I’m forced to drop her hand. She and Simmons meet halfway and embrace.

“I’ve missed you so much.” Simmons sheds some tears but she’s quick to wipe them away.

“I’m so sorry I left.” Skye lets Simmons go and is taken into another hug by Mack as Simmons hugs me.

“We’re so glad your home.” Simmons looks up at me.

“We’re glad to be home too.” I tell her as Mack shakes my hand.

It’s a little awkward seeing the exchange between Coulson and Skye. They’re just looking at each other. I can see he’s happy to have her home but he doesn’t know if he should hug her.

“Welcome home, Daisy.” He finally says and Skye jumps into him with tears falling down.

She’s always been impulsive but the pregnancy has made her very emotional. 

“I’m so sorry.” She apologizes.

Coulson’s arms are around Skye. He sways her as he says, “It’s what you needed.”

They separate and it gets awkward again. It’s not like them to show emotions like this with each other. They look away and both look to me.

“Grant. Good to see you.” He smiles and shakes my hand.

“Good to see you too, sir.” I tell him.

“Sir, the Director is asking for you to come in with Agent Johnson and Agent Ward.” May appears from down the hall.

She gives me a small smile and turns to Skye. “I’m glad you’re both back. I wish I could catch up but I’ve got training in five.” She strides out of the room quickly.

“Good to see you too, May.” Skye calls after her and she snaps to Coulson, “I’m sorry, did she just say Director would like to see you?” She looks to him, Simmons and Mack. “Guys, what’s going on.”

Coulson turns to me. “You didn’t tell her?”

Great. Now she’s going to snap at me. I wince as she turns to me with her glare. “Grant.”

I turn to Coulson to give him a sarcastic, “Thanks,” and turn back to Skye. “I didn’t know there was a new Director. I knew the President and Talbot were looking for someone but I never thought they’d actually do it.” I turn back to Coulson, “You agreed with their choice? I thought it was more of a threat.”

“Oh no, they were serious. We went through a lot of candidates. This particular one was very interesting. We lied and told the President and Talbot that we’d never crossed paths. Lord knows they would never have considered it otherwise.” Coulson was trying not to laugh. “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”

Mack and Simmons were walking in the other direction with smiles on their faces.

I turn to Skye to take her hand and she’s still glaring at me. “We said no more secrets.”

I take a deep breath. “It wasn’t a secret. Like I said, I didn’t think they’d actually replace him with someone. How could they possibly find someone more qualified?”

“Oh, I assure you. They found someone.” Coulson chuckled.

Skye finally laced her fingers with mine and we caught up with Coulson. He’s a spy so he doesn’t have to turn to know we’re holding hands. “I’m glad you guys finally talked. Make sure to disclose the relationship to the Director. He likes to have things out in the open.”

Skye and I look at each other and I nod. She should tell him.

“Actually, Coulson...” She starts and he stops to turn to her.

“What is it, Daisy?” Coulson prompts when Skye doesn’t continue.

“Um, well…Grant and I are actually engaged.” She searches his eyes and so do I. Should I have asked for his blessing? “We were wondering if you could walk me down the aisle.”

He doesn’t answer right away. He looks like he’s in shock. After a minute, he smiled and hugs her. “I’d be honored.”

Once he lets her go, he slaps my shoulder. “I didn’t think you’d ever take that step. I’m proud of you, Grant. You’ve come a long way.”

My body swells with pride. I’m speechless and grateful Coulson gave me a second chance when he did. I don’t want to think of what would have become of me if the team hadn’t forgiven me or gotten me help.

“Come on, let’s get you to the Director.”

Skye and I share a look. Something’s up. Coulson looks only too happy for us to meet this new Director.

He stops outside of his old office and knocks.

“Come in.” We hear from inside.

Coulson opens the door and steps in.

“Coulson, I’m sick and tired of you knocking. Come in for goodness sake.” Comes the voice of the new Director.

Skye and I walk in and I stop in my tracks at the sight of the new Director.

I can see Skye’s jaw has dropped. It takes us both a minute to gather ourselves.

“Welcome back, Agent Johnson. Agent Ward. Coulson, here has told me all about you.” Tony Stark approaches us with a smirk on his face.

After a couple of more blinks, I collect myself and extend my arm to shake his. “Nice to meet you, sir. Grant Ward.”

His handshake is firm. He drops my hand after two shakes and looks at Skye, who’s still staring. I can’t fight the smile that appears on my face.

Suddenly, I remember the day I first met Skye. I had accused her of being a groupie and a cosplay girl parading around outside Stark Tower. I only just hold in my laugh.

He looks at her over his glasses. “Agent Daisy Johnson, I assume.” He reaches for her hand to shake it.

“Holy shit.” She whispers but we all hear her. Her eyebrows raise as if she’s surprised at herself for saying that out loud. “Shit—I mean-uhm—yes. Yup, that’s me. Yes. Daisy Johnson.” She finally looks at me amused face and something in seeing me makes her jump. “Crap. No. Sorry. No. Skye. My name is Skye. Soon to be Skye Ward. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Stark.” She smiled and curses again. “Director Stark, sorry.”

Director Stark frowns. “Ok, then. Agent Skye Ward.” He smiled at her. “I assume Daisy Johnson will cease to exist just as she appeared out of nowhere years ago.” He gave her another smile and I see her smile quiver. “Very impressive work.”

“Thank you, sir.” She clears her throat and it appears that my fiancé is finally getting her bearings around our new Director.

“Ok, here’s the deal. The government has zero clue that I ever knew Coulson. I erased all files that we ever worked together. I’m leading the Avengers. Fury never told me you guys were still operating in the dark. When he found out the government was trying to take over, he asked me to step in. I’m the face of SHIELD but Phil here is still leading SHIELD behind the scenes. Technically I’m still his boss,” he smiles over his shoulder at Coulson before looking back to both Skye and myself, “so I can overrule any of his orders. I’ll be in and out of here, so if I’m not around just go to him. Any questions?”

“No, sir.”

“Yea, what’s with all these new protocols?” Skye asks, holding up her badge.

Stark smiles at her. “I had to change something. Besides, levels are antiquated. Phil, the darling Dr. Simmons and I came up with the new system. You’ll get used to it. I split up the dream team as well. Can’t have you guys bringing attention to SHIELD as you did with Hive. The President is looking at SHIELD closely right now and I had to make a call. You’ll still work together but not as closely as before.” He clears his throat and walks over to the tablet and enters something. “I’ve given you two clearance to basically all the departments. The only other one with that permission is Dr. Simmons. I’ll want you to start back up with the Secret Warriors Initiative. Mr. Ward, I’d like you to join her on that project.”

I nod. “Yes, sir.”

A monitor overhead beeps, and we all look up.

“Phil, take Mack and May’s strike team. Make sure we get as many as these Watchdogs as we can. I want all of them interrogated.” Starks tells Coulson and Coulson is out of the room in seconds. Stark looks back at us, “Now. I need you to jump right in and go see our Inhuman asset. I believe you guys know her. She’s due for a check-up because she hasn’t agreed to join SHIELD. I hope the both of you can change her mind.” He’s rubbing his hands together. “Elena Rodriguez. Los Angeles.” He hands us a tablet with all of Yo-yo’s information. “It’s going to be fun having you guys on the team. Go suit up.”

I turn to go but Skye stops me by touching my arm. “Sir,”

“Yes, Agent.” Stark turns back to us.

“Well, sir. I don’t know the proper protocol for this.” She turns to me, not knowing how to continue. “I don’t know if I should get checked by Jemma first. Or if I have to wait a certain time.” She looks flustered.

“Are you sick?”

“No, sir. Pregnant.”

I feel stupid for not knowing this is what she was talking about.

He looks shocked. “Oh.” He looks to me and raises an eyebrow. “Did you get this girl pregnant?” He asks me, pointing at Skye. “Does Phil know?”

I shake my head. “No, sir. We just found out. Didn’t have the time to tell him—or anyone.” I stand straight with my arms behind my back. 

“Is that why you’re getting married?”

“No.” Skye and I both answer at the same time.

He throws both hands in the air. “Fine. Not my business. But you better tell Phil as soon as he gets back.” He shakes his head. “I tell you, if you were my daughter,” he looks at Skye, “I would have killed you if you had gotten pregnant. And you,” he points at me, “if you weren’t marrying her. But Phil likes you.” He shakes his head. “Never seen a more overprotective father who actually likes the boyfriend. Get out of here. Go get checked out by Dr. Simmons.” He waves his hand for us to leave. “I’ll get your new badge by the end of the day.” He calls out.

We turn and head out to go see Simmons.

Skye’s cheeks are flushed. 

“You thankful he didn’t recognize you without your costume?” I can’t help but ask.

“Costume?” She asks me confused. “You mean my gear?”

“No.” I can’t help but laugh. “You’re cosplay costume.”

She turns red and slaps my shoulder. “It was just the one time.” She mumbles to herself. “I hate you.”

“You love me.” I answer back as I lace my fingers with hers.

Simmons gives Skye a full workup. She assures us she’ll have results by the time we get back from seeing Yo-yo in LA.

Yo-yo who catches us up with what’s been going on since we’ve been gone.

Dr. Radcliffe had not been cleared of his charges and while his home was ransacked, new charges had been added. Apparently, while he was out awaiting trial, he’d been working on an AI named AIDA. Stark had not been happy and had spoken against Radcliffe. AIDA the AI and an android had been destroyed.

Yo-yo had signed the Sokovia Accords and had to be monitored regularly as she hadn’t signed up with SHIELD. She didn’t let that damper her mood. She smiled as she confessed, she’d gone out with Mack a couple of times until he’d backed off because of the fraternization rules. The way she spoke, made me pity Mack. The guy had no chance in avoiding her. She wasn’t going to let rules stop her from getting the man she wanted.

I laughed at her honesty and she joined. “I’m glad you’re both back with SHIELD.”

“So are we.” Skye looks happy. She sneaks a peek at me and turns to Yo-yo. “So, listen. Grant and I—we’re together and decided to get married. We’d really like it if you could be there.”

Yo-yo’s smile is wide. “Si. Of course. When?”

“Any day now.” I tell her.

She eyes us suspiciously. “Is this your way of bringing me back to SHIELD?” But she laughs and follows it with, “OK. I’ll go back with you.”

SKYE’S POV  
Fitz is still dodging me. He’s upset at the way I left but he can’t keep avoiding me. Especially because Grant wants him to be Best Man as soon as Coulson, Mack and May get back.

So, Grant and I track him down. He’s in his lab, of course, working on some specs to something we haven’t used yet.

“Fitz. There you are.” Grant greets.

Fitz smiles broadly at him. “Ward. It’s good to see you.” He walks up to us and greets him while still avoiding me.

I scrunch up my face. “Hello, to you too Fitz.” I try to catch his eye but he’s not looking at me.

“So, I hear you guys are together. Congratulations and all that.” He has a smile on his face but still no eye contact.

“Come on, Fitz. You have to look at me. I’m sorry.” I plead.

After a moment, he finally turns to me. “Skye, what a privilege for you to honor us with your presence. How long you planning to stick around?” He’s curt.

That hurts my feelings but I deserve it. 

“Fitz.” Grant warns.

“It’s ok.” I assure Grant.

“Of course, you’re going to defend her.” He throws at Grant. “She up and vanished with a damn note. Cut us out of her life.” He’s frustrated but I can see him fighting his emotions. “We could have been there for you, you know?”

I nod. Stupid pregnancy hormones making me cry for everything. “I know.” I cry. “I’m sorry. I needed space, Fitz. I thought it would be best for everyone if I got out of your lives. I couldn’t say goodbye.”

He only hesitates for a moment before hugging me. “Well, alright. No more leaving, you hear me? And no more crying.”

“I can’t promise that.” I wail.

“Jeezus, I really am sorry. I was just hurt. Blimey, are you ok?” He looks worried now that I can’t stop crying.

Grant took me in his arms and tried to soothe me. He rubbed my back and I concentrated on calming myself.

“Is she ok?”

I can feel Grant nodding above.

After I calm down, I look at Grant. “Don’t you have something to ask him.”

Fitz looks at Grant then me and back at Grant. “What?” He looks worried. “Did something happen?”

“Skye and I are getting married as soon as Coulson, Mack and May are back.”

Fitz’s jaw drops. “You what?”

“Will you be my best man?”

“What the bloody hell? First, you take years to tell her how you feel? And now you’re getting married?!”

“There you are!” Simmons enters out of breath. “Skye. Ward. I need to speak to you privately.” She hesitates when she sees Fitz. “It’s about your tests.”

Oh. We’d forgotten to tell her we knew we were pregnant.

I smile. “It’s ok, Jemma. We know.”

“You know?” She squints and purses her lips.

“Know what?” Fitz asks.

Simmons looks at me for permission and I nod.

“It just doesn’t make sense. I just triple checked your file. You’re not due for your shot until next month. It should have prevented it from happening.”

“What happened?” Fitz asks lost.

“We’re pregnant.” Grant answers and I hear the pride in his voice.

“Is that why you’re getting married?” Fitz asks without a beat but his voice is low.

“You’re what?!” Simmons squeals.

Oops. “We were going to tell you. Jemma, I want you to be my maid of honor.”

She squeals again. “You do?!” She takes me into a hug. “Yes. I will be your maid of honor. Who’s marrying you?”

Grant and I look at each other. “We hadn’t thought of that.”

When the rest of the team arrives two days later, Coulson walks me down the aisle. Director Starks surprises us by volunteering to officiate. We have the honor of meeting Pepper Potts.

The ceremony is quick, our vows simple. We’ve lost a lot over the years and I know the ones to come won’t be easy in our line of work but we’ll get through it. This time, when we go through it, it’ll be different because we’ll do it together. We will no longer face things alone.

Once the ceremony is done, we get congratulations from everybody and it’s back to work as usual. Which is what we expected to happen. There’s always something going on.

“Agent Ward.” Director Stark calls out.

“Yes?” Grant and I answer at the same time.

“Ok. That’s going to get old.” He says and then he points to Ms. Potts, who’s behind us. “It’s not cute don’t you even say it.” He warns her.

Ms. Potts shrugs and goes back to talking to Coulson.

Stark waves us over.

We go to his side and he leans in, speaking quietly, “I would talk to Phil as soon as possible about that grandbaby you’re cooking up because as much as I like Dr. Simmons, I think she’s going to crack and spill your secret.”

I smile. He’s probably right. “We’ll do it right away.” I assure him.

“Great. Now get to work, the both of you.” He says as he walks away and takes Ms. Potts hand. They head towards his office.

“We should do it now.” Grant suggests. “He could be sent out for another mission soon.”

I nod. “May too.” I tell him. “We’ll tell them together.”

“Together?”

“She’s gonna be Grandma May.” I shrug, “Why not kill two birds with one stone.”

He simply nods.

“You think it’ll ever come up that Daddy slept with Grandma?” I laugh.

Grant makes a face. “Skye. Stop. Please—please don’t ever repeat that again.”

I laugh and promise myself that I’ll stop.

“I’m glad my history amuses you.” He sticks his tongue out almost like he’s got a bad taste in his mouth or he’s disgusted.

“Coulson? May?” I call. “Can we talk to you guys in private?”

May frowns but says, “sure.”

They follow us into an empty room.

“Daisy, what’s going on?” Coulson asks, he looks a little amused.

“Skye.” I remind him.

Coulson rolls his eyes at me. “Do you remember how long it took me to get used to Daisy? I’ll get there.” He promises.

“We have a bit more news to share with you.” Grant starts.

“It’s really bad timing, but I’m—” I don’t know why it’s hard to say it to them. We’ve already told Fitzsimmons and the Director. I take a deep breath, “we’re pregnant.” 

I wait for the response. I don’t know what to expect. Grant squeezes my hand.

“Wow. That’s huge.” Coulson looks taken aback. “Congratulations.”

He’s got tears in his eyes and he hugs me. I don’t even to pretend to blame the hormones as I fall apart in his arms.

“Can she—”

“Or he.” Grant chimes in. Every time I mention the baby, I say she or her.

“Can she or he call you Grandpa?” I ask quickly because I don’t want to lose my courage.

“I’d be honored.” He answers. He turns to Grant and takes him into a hug. “I’m proud of you Grant. I’m glad she finally has you by her side.”

I turn to May who’s been very quiet and it’s then that I notice the smile on her face. Her eyes are watery but she’s not crying.

“May?” I smile through my tears.

She shakes her head. “No. No. Don’t even think about it. I’m not old enough to be anybody’s grandmother.” She refuses and I can’t help but feel hurt. May’s face softens, “I wouldn’t mind being Nana May.”

I hug her too although her hug is shorter that Coulson’s.

That night, as Grant holds me, I actively start thinking about the baby. Will it be a boy? A girl? Will she/he look like Grant? Like me? Will she/he have mixed features of us both? What will we name her? Will she get powers? What will those be?

“You thinking about the baby?” Grant asks.

“Yea. You?”

“Always.”

“What are you thinking?” I want to know if he has the same questions I do.

“How will we raise a child as SHIELD agents? Should one of us retire? Or should we make a deal that we swap out every other mission so we’re not both gone? How will it affect her or him to constantly be worried if mommy or daddy will be coming home?” 

“Um, woah. I’m wondering if it’ll be a boy or girl. Who they’ll look like? What we’ll name them.” I confess and now I’m worried and asking myself all the questions he’s asking himself.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want you to worry. We’ll work it out. My brain was just going. Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Truly, I believe in us. We’ll find a way. We’ll work it out.”

I try to calm myself and him. “I think she’s going to be a girl.”

I can feel his smile against my temple. “I’d be blessed to have a little girl exactly like her mother. Having a mini you would be challenging but I wouldn’t mind being surrounded by Skye woman.”

I turn up to kiss him. “It took us a while to get here.”

“We were going to get here eventually. Besides, you can’t rush perfection.” He jokes and I poke him in the stomach.

“Watch it, Mrs. Ward.” He warns playfully.

My toes curl at my name. The last name I’ll ever go by. “Say it again.” I bite on his lower lip and tug.

“Mrs. Ward.” He slips his hands under my pants and cups my ass. He then brings my hips into his body and grinds his hard dick between my legs.

GRANT POV  
As I enter Skye’s body, she moans into my mouth. “Fuck, yes.” She hisses as she meets my thrusts.

I’ve never been so blissed out than I am right now. Skye feels so fucking good beneath me. Her body is hot and tight around me. She’s my wife and she’s carrying our baby and for some reason that makes her more beautiful than I ever thought possible. 

She molds so perfectly to my body.

 

As she moves beneath me, I feel the last of my demons disappear. I talk a big game, telling her we’d always end up together but for the majority of the time we’ve known each other, she was always an impossibility to me. I’m done blaming myself for shit I did with Garrett. He was never the man I wanted him to be but I turned a blind eye. The moment this woman had entered my life, she’d flipped it and not only saved my life (because I know I’d be dead by now if not for her) but saved my soul. She was giving me herself so entirely, so openly and it was everything.

She’s getting close. In such a short period of time, my body has learned every inch of hers. I can feel her orgasm building. If I were to bite the bundle of nerves on her neck, she’d explode around me.

Her hands run through my hair and she tugs in the way she knows I love and I can’t wait any longer. I bite the spot in her neck and her orgasm hits. Her body arches off the bed and she cries out loudly. I don’t stop thrusting until I’ve emptied myself inside her.

She sighs. “My husband.” She cuddles me as she begins to drift.

My heart beats fast as I repeat her words in my head.

God, I love this woman. My partner. My wife. The future mother of our children. My Skye.


End file.
